the Age of a Dragon
by Kretolus
Summary: Villen (OC) is an old fashioned knight who can't turn away from people in need. This has caused him to be hunted by Talon for years. An unfortunate circumstance causes him to cross paths with Overwatch agents. Will he join them and take a stand, or continue running on his own? This is my first story. Please report any spelling/grammatical mistakes, I might have missed, to me.
1. A day like any other

**Author's note**

 **DISCLAIMER: The writing gets much better as the story goes on, as I have gained more experiance over time. Possible rewrite in the future. I hope you enjoy!**

 **This is my first story I think I have ever written, but I felt a sudden urge to write an Overwatch fic so here it is.**  
 **Please feel free to point out any grammatical and spelling errors to me, as English is not my favourite language and I would love to give people the most pleasant reading experience I can.**  
 **The story is about an OC I created inspired by many different works of fiction (and more to come probably).**  
 **First chapter is more of a setup, hopefully some Overwatch characters will appear in chapter 2, and if not, then in the 3rd.**  
 **All reviews are most welcome, please let me know if you like/dislike the story and why.**  
 **Have a pleasant read!**

* * *

The sun was setting, bringing that day to an end. A man was walking down the streets of New York. He was dressed in a long black trench coat with a white shirt underneath it, and black trousers. The buckle of his belt was shaped like a head of a dragon.

He looked at most forty years old, although his hair was mostly gray, with only slight black strands here and there. He was sporting a neatly trimmed, short full beard which was mostly darker than his hair, yet some grey patches had already started to show on it. According to many women he's met in his years, he was, in fact, very handsome. Maybe not as much now that a big, long scar stretched from under his chin, all the way through his left cheek.

"So, it would seem it's just another normal, boring day" he thought.

Villen sighed. He should be happy about that. Normal wasn't exactly his thing, and always a welcome change. Another day spent patrolling - if you can even call it that - the city. He should be sitting in his flat, avoiding the public, not be out here, where trouble would surely find him. It always happens the same way, he can't stop himself from helping someone therefore revealing his location to his pursuers. And so he has to move cities to avoid either capture or being under near constant assault, putting bystanders in danger.

Villen was getting really tired of this routine. Sometimes he managed to help without activating his suit, but that has become increasingly difficult in recent years. The disbanding of Overwatch, the Second Omnic Crisis, Talon running rampant. All this things made it all to easy for criminals to acquire weapons which in turn forced him to use the suit so that he doesn't end up in a hospital. Which was yet another thing he couldn't afford to do, it would make his capture all the more easy.

But the man just couldn't help himself. Something in his mind could not accept not helping people. He wouldn't just turn and walk away from them. And their gratitude always filled Villen's heart with so much happiness. The fact that he didn't see anyone in need of help today was both great and weirdly sad. He didn't want people to need help, but the act of helping was just so gratifying to him.

He shook his head. "As long as people are safe I'm happy", he said to himself, "And the added benefit of that is Talon doesn't get to know where I am". He thought of all the Talon's previous futile attempts of finding or capturing him. "It is probably the best possible outcome for me", he smiled to himself.

The sun has already set after all, so he could write that they off as a success, right?

Wrong.

* * *

As he was passing by an entrance to one of the numerous back alleys a sudden voice snapped him out of his thoughts. A female voice came out of the implant in his ear, usually a great way of communication as only he could hear it, but this time it almost startled him.

" _Sir, I have detected a faint call for help from the alleyway to your left. Female. I'm also detecting several other voices in close proximity to it. The are either some distance away or inside one of the buildings, I will be able to get a better reading if we get closer."_

"Thank you Vea, let's check it out." Vellen responded, turning into the alley and picking up a pace. He sighed, looks like it wouldn't be such a boring day after all.

" _Sir, I must remind you that getting involved will re-"_

"Result in talon likely finding me if I were to activate the armor, I am aware of that Vea. As much as you are aware that this won't stop me from getting involved."

" _I am, however I thought it appropriate to try nonetheless."_

He came to a stop at the point the alley he went down became much wider, joining into what looked more like a courtyard surrounded by several buildings.

"Thank you Vea. Now -". A sudden gunshot ringed in the air, it seemed to come from one of the buildings. "I need a location Vea. And activate the suit's combat protocols." He said, a sense of urgency in his words. Now Talon will find him for sure, he sighed, but he quickly brushed that thought away. No time for that kind of thinking right now.

" _Activating combat protocols now. The source of the shot is behind the door on the right, twenty meters from your current position."_

Villen started running to the door and grabbed the cylinder attached to his belt. Meanwhile his coat started changing its form and material as it began shifting into a full plate armor. The base color of was black, it was however very ornately decorated, with an obvious dragon theme adding the red and gold colors. Each pauldron was shaped to look like the top of a dragon's head. The flames etched all over the armor. The whole thing made to look, as if it was made from huge dragon scales. As the helmet, the sides of which were decorated by dragon wings pointing upwards and slightly back, closed around his face, Villen thanked himself for installing the HUD that made it so much easier to see.

The technology used for the transformation still made Villen proud, even after all this time of using it. He managed to greatly upgrade the armor since it was passed down to him by his father. And it needed it, without all of the upgrades started by his grandfather, the ornate armor would be only good for a parade. But now thanks to all of the wonders of modern technology the plate was light, not constricting, and durable enough to stop most small arms fire.

He squeezed the cylinder in his hand and it unfolded into a sword. The crossguard shaped like spread dragon wings, the black blade colored with streaks of red flames. He squeezed again and the blade hummed with power. Meanwhile on his left forearm a shield started forming. A large oblong shape, the top of it formed into yet another dragon head, which appeared fused with the shield, it's open maw cutting into the shape of the shield - a potential weakness if it wasn't for a barely visible energy field filling the gap.

As he reached the door his armor and weapons had just finished unfolding. Thanks to the suit's sensors he could clearly hear a pleading of a woman, and several other voices either mocking her or laughing. He gathered his strength and kicked open the door.


	2. Not so normal anymore

**Author's note**

 **So here is chapter two of my story.  
Came pretty quick as I was already working on it when I published the first one.  
Another reason is that the first chapter ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I wanted to finish this one as soon as possible.  
Yet again let me know all the spelling/grammatical mistakes I made.  
Please enjoy the story.**

* * *

The door lead to a big room, not unlike a warehouse. A few boxes and crates were scattered here and there, indicating that the place was most likely abandoned. Or it would be if it wasn't for a group of people standing near a stack of crates in the middle of the room.

Five men, two armed with baseball bats, one with a pistol and two with automatic weapons. On the floor, her back against the crates was a woman, her knees pressed to her chest, arms wrapped around them. She was crying. Villen's HUD highlighted a small hole in the crate next to her - most likely where one of the men shot to intimidate her further. The men turned towards him startled by the sudden intrusion.

He immediately targeted the two men closest to the woman, he had to ensure her safety. From the eyes of the dragons decorating his pauldrons two darts shot and hit the men in their next, releasing the sleeping agent and causing them to fall on the floor. Unfortunately those were the ones armed with just baseball bats. The rest of them immediately raised their weapons and started firing at the intruder.

Using his shield to block most of the fire Villen charged across the room. Jump jets in his boots activated and a pair of hard-light dragon wings materialised from his back. He glided quickly up to the closest attacker knocking him down with his shield. He sliced at the second man's weapon, his sword cutting through metal like it was butter. The opponent looked at him in shock and that moment gave Villen enough time to knock him out by hitting him in the head with the side of the shield.

As the last man yelled and started running, Villen walked up to the first attacker that was still lying on the floor and knocked him out with a swift kick to the side of the head.

It's not like he opposed killing people, he just wanted to spare the woman the sight. And it was much harder to convince people in her situation that you are not the bad guy after you've just slaughtered a room of people.

His sword turning back to cylinder form, he attached it to his belt and walked up to the woman, who looked up at him, tears in her eyes. She was trying to process what happened, the fight has ended rather quickly, not allowing her the time to fully absorb what was going on.

"Are you hurt? Can you walk?" Villen asked the woman.

Still dazed she just looked at him. She started to open her mouth to speak but then more gunshots sounded. Villen instinctively raised his shield and put himself in between the gunmen and the woman.

"Damn them, looks like someone brought reinforcements."

Villen grabbed the woman and lifted her up to her legs, she didn't even try to struggle, still having trouble processing the situation. She was covering her ears from all the gunfire. Villen brought her closer to him and activated the force field bubble in his shield. A white glow surrounded them forming a protective dome all around, that the bullets either bounced off of or melted in contact.

"Vea activate the acoustic dampening on the force field, please." And suddenly the gun shots were muffled and could barely be heard. Villen was constantly backing off towards the door, taking the woman with him.

"Wh- who are you?" He heard her ask in a shaky voice.

"I'm here to save you milady, but you must listen to me" Villen said, as gently as he could. He sounded calm which seemed to help the woman relax at least a bit. She nodded to show she understood.

"When we reach the door, and I check it's safe outside I need you to run away from here as fast as you can and don't stop until you are safe, do you understand?"

"B- but what about you?" She asked, making Villen smile under his helmet.

"I must stay to deal with these people, but I cannot endanger you. So you must make it out of here."

"O- okay."

They were at the door when he heard Vea speak.

" _Sir, the force field is nearly drained, it cannot withstand that amount of fire for long."_

"I thought so. Check the outside for hostiles, please." Thankfully he was able to communicate with Vea without anyone hearing while he had his helmet on, or the woman he was escorting would be really confused. Villen smiled at the thought.

" _I am not detecting any hostiles outside, the way out to the main street should be clear."_

Villen turned his head to the woman next to him. They were just outside now.

"As soon as I drop the field I need you to run, I will shield you as best I can." The woman noded at him readying herself for the run.

"Now." He yelled and the force field dropped. Villen adjusted his position to cover as much of the door with his body and shield. He turned his head to see the woman was already some distance away. Seeing that he grabbed the cylinder from his belt, and once again charged into the room. The blade unfolding during the glide. But something was not right. He heard a slam behind him and spotted a heavy blast door suddenly closed on the exit.

"A trap?" he thought, gliding towards his enemies.

"Seems like I'm fighting for my freedom now"

* * *

On the same street that Villen so recently walked, now two people could be seen. A very tall, bulky, old man with what could be described as a mane of gray hair surrounding his face. And a much shorter, slim woman with blonde hair tied in a high ponytail. They were talking and laughing as they made their way down the street.

"Thank you for coming here with me Wilhelm. You were right, these days it's never enough security for us, especially given certain… recent events." The woman said looking up at the man and smiling.

"Indeed, the recall of overwatch agents definitely puts us in danger. You could have just cancelled the lecture though, doctor, like we asked. It would have been much safer at Gibraltar." The tall man responded looking down at the woman, his voice filled with worry.

"You know I couldn't. First of all those students are our future Wilhelm, my knowledge could be helpful to them. Secondly it was the first lecture I had been invited to after Overwatch got disbanded, and didn't want to miss that chance."

"I am aware doctor. It's just we all worry about your safety. You are one of the most prominent members of Overwatch and the fact that you are still so active in your field puts a giant crosshair on you. Especially with Talon growing so strong. Eliminating you would deal a giant blow to Overwatch ever reforming. I understand however, your need to stand up for what's right." He smiled. The worry in Reinhardt's voice was clear. But as was pride in Mercy for keeping to her ideals. She blushed slightly.

"I don't think I really have as big a role as you give me credit for Wilhelm. Still I acknowledge the threat exists. I will try to be more careful." She responded to the man. She knew he made a good point about Talon possibly targeting her, now that she has been basically welcomed back to the scientific community.

Reinhardt responded with a bellowing laughter.

"You - more careful? The first opportunity you'll get you-"

A woman running out of a alleyway bumped into him interrupting him. She was looking back and didn't notice the man. She basically bounced of the giant figure, but he caught her before she could fall to the ground. She looked at him, her eyes filled with fear.

"Careful there young lady. Why the hurry?" Reinhardt asked calmly. A second voice followed.

"Are you alright dear?" A woman suddenly appeared from behind the giant man and she put her hand on the runner's hand. Her voice soothed the woman somewhat. And the legitimate look of worry she could see in the blonde's eyes only helped with that.

"N-no, please you have to help him!" She cried, her voice trembling. "Please!"

"Slow down a bit young lady." Reinhardt knelt beside her, his voice calm. "Help who?"

"The man who saved me! He is in one of the buildings down this way - " She pointed down the alley she just run from. "- and there was a lot of gunfire when I left, a- and he is there alone, a-and -"

"It's okay." The man interrupted her. "We shall help him, you don't need to worry."

"That's right dear. You get yourself safe, and preferably to the hospital while you're at it." The blonde woman smiled at her. She nodded and stood there for a second trying to compose herself.

"Run along now young one." The man said, and then turned to the woman that was with him. "We should go get our gear."

"Agreed. Thankfully it isn't far." They started running down the street leaving the other woman behind. "And you were gonna say it's me that always runs of helping people, getting myself in trouble." She chuckled.

Reinhardt laughed. "What can I say doctor, it would seem you are not the only one."

* * *

 **Yet another cliffhanger, sorry.  
I don't want to make these chapters too long, so I'm kind of forced to do this.  
Not really but, you know, artist's vision and all that. (Not really an artist but still)**


	3. Dragonfly

**Author's note**

 **So here is chapter 3 of my story. Hope you enjoy it.  
Thank you to Knights and dragons for the first review (Woohoo!), I really appreciate it and will try my hardest to keep up the story!  
Yet again let me know all the spelling/grammatical mistakes I made.  
Please enjoy.**

* * *

Villen landed between two attackers, slicing straight through one with his blade, and burrowing the dragon's maw on his shield into the other one's neck, the energy field cutting right through. He used his wings and jump jets in his boots to float over to a few others killing them swiftly. It was all too easy. Why spring a trap if you are not equipped to take down your opponent?

And then he felt a something gripping his hand. He barely had time to look down and see a wire with a grappling hook on his right wrist when a shock of electricity surged through it. He fell to one knee. So that was their plan. How were these thugs this prepared for him. Could it be Talon?

He was about to cut through the wire with his shield when a second grapple grabbed his left arm sending another shock through his body, causing his muscles to twitch.

" _Sir, I could shield you from this, but it would most likely overload-"_ He heard Vea say.

"No! You know that the armor must be preserved for as long as possible." Villen said through clenched teeth. "Destroy it only if you are sure it will fall into their hands, not sooner. I will manage someh-AAGHH". Yet another surge of electricity caused him to scream in pain. The intensity was increasing now a third grapple on his left leg. This wasn't going well. Every time he tried to slice at the wires, the people holding them pulled on them and sent more electricity causing his muscles to twitch uncontrollably and wearing him down with pain.

Soon after he had a wire attached to all of his limbs and two additional on his shoulder blades. He folded his shield. He had no use for it now.

Another shock caused him to nearly lose consciousness. The sword fell out from his hand reverting back to its cylindrical form. Then he realised he was being lifted in the air, his limbs getting stretched by the cables. His enemies attached the wires to the walls and the ceiling to further limit his movements.

"This must be Talon." Villen said to Vea, gasping for breath from the electrical treatment. "No one else could be this prepared for me. And I walked right into their hands like some sort of rookie. I got sloppy in my old age."

" _Sir, you couldn't have known they would find you here so quickly. And you are not that old"_

Villen laughed at that last remark. "No, I guess I'm not. Now I need to find a way to get out of h-AAGGHHH." Another shock interrupted their conversation, and again he barely stayed conscious.

He heard a sinister laughter. Raising his head he saw a black mist forming in front of him into a silhouette. As it formed further a hooded man with a white mask and a long black coat appeared from it. The laughter was coming from him. And then he spoke, his deep voice echoing slightly.

"Well, well, well. Seem the mighty dragon turned out to be more of a fly that so easily got caught in the web."

Villen laughed at that. "It wasn't that easy if you think about all these times I evaded you, leaving your people looking like fools". The masked man noded slightly towards someone and soon after another shock followed, this one even more powerful. It took all of Villen strength to stay conscious. He was gasping for breath, when the man spoke again.

"That's because I was not there before. But now I am, and I'm going to squash this little fly right under my boot." Even though he couldn't see it under the mask, Villen could have sworn he felt the man smirk. "And as you are at my mercy now, how about you tell me all about this fancy armor of yours."

Villen laughed again. "Right. How about I take all my secrets to the grave with me, as it's seems that's where I'm going anyway, and not make your job easier, huh?" Another nod from the stranger sent another shock through Villen's body.

"You could make your death easier on yourself though. No one escapes the Reaper, but I could make your death much swifter. Death can show mercy too."

"Reaper, huh? Death can show mercy? You really went far with this whole emo thing, didn't you?" Another surge shook Villen's body. Barely clinging onto consciousness he slumped down, barely able to breathe. He heard Reaper laugh.

"Lacking strength, little fly? Ready to be squished? Where are your jokes now?" The masked man laughed again. Another surge. Villen's body twisted and turned on the wires, his screams of agony echoing in the warehouse. "But I think this electricity is a bit boring, don't you? I think you feel a bit too safe in this suit of yours. All this bulletproofing."

Villen opened his eyes and looked at the man. One of his goons handed him a rifle. The caliber of the gun was impressive. In itself it could be enough to pierce his armor. And Villen somehow doubted Reaper didn't bring special bullets designed to overcome his armor and probably also cause as much damage as possible.

"All this bulletproofing. And for what?" Reaper aimed and pulled the trigger.

Villen's body was pushed back by the sheer force of the bullet, turning in the grip of the cables. Villen yelled out in pain. He could feel the bullet shatter the bones in his left shoulder. His head slumped after he stopped screaming. Reaper took it as a sign to continue.

"Not so powerful now, little fly. Not so fearless now you can feel the boot on your body." He fired again, now into the knights right shoulder.

Villen screamed again. He could no longer feel his right arm. The bullet must have severely damaged the connection between the robotic arm and the rest of his body. And then another shock of electricity came. Grinding his teeth he managed somehow to stay conscious through all this pain. It would probably be better for him if he didn't, but Villen didn't want to give his enemies that satisfaction.

"Impressive, little fly, how you managed to hold up the boot before it crushed you. "Reaper laughed. "Unfortunately for you, your killer has just been toying with you. Now he will apply the real force on the boot, ending your annoying life once and for all."

Villen heard a weird slam first, and then a crack of a shot. He felt enormous pain in his head. And then he finally lost consciousness.

* * *

Reinhardt and Mercy, now fully geared, arrived in the courtyard outside. This is where the running woman has pointed them to go. Right when they were about to say something, they heard an agonising scream.

"It came from that building over there." Reinhardt rushing off to find the door, mercy following closely behind.

Before they arrived at the door, they heard another scream. The door was much sturdier than they expected.

"Can you get through it?" Mercy asked as Reinhardt examined the door.

"I hope so." Another scream broke the silence. "There is no other choice but to try, as whoever is in there seems to be running out of time." The man responded, while moving away from the door to get a bit of a run-up. He ignited the boosters on the back of his armor and charged into the door, busting it out along with a part of the wall.

* * *

Something shook the building, right when Reaper pulled the trigger, sending it a bit of course. Instead of hitting the middle of the knights head it went to the left. Reaper looked with anger at the source of the commotion. And he saw Reinhardt charging through the warehouse towards one of his men, a characteristic glow of Mercy's Caduceus staff surrounding him, and the woman herself following closely behind.

Reaper cursed. None of the former members of Overwatch were supposed to see him here. So he bolted for the emergency exit, yelling out orders to cover him and eliminate targets to the rest of his men.

* * *

As Reinhardt charged into the building, threw the door away and activated his energy shield. It almost immediately lit up with gunfire. Keeping the shield between their attackers and himself and Mercy he pushed forward, systematically eliminating goon, after goon. He utilized his hammer and boosters to great effect and with Mercy having his back, the warehouse was cleaned of hostiles very quickly.

Now with a second to fully take in the scene they turned their attention to the man strung up in the middle of the room by cables attached to the ceiling and the floor. His beautifully ornate armor stained with blood pouring out of two holes in his chest and another in his head.

"Oh no… Are we too late?" Reinhardt asked making his way over to the hanging body. He started tearing the grapples attached to the knight's armor to get him down.

"No, my scanner shows he is still alive, although his condition is critical. After you get him down call Winston for immediate evac, I need my medical facilities to be able to treat him. In the meantime I will attempt to stabilize him." Mercy's tone was really serious and she was quickly at the knight's side as he Reinhardt set him down on the floor and went to call Winston as instructed.

Mercy tried to remove the plate from the stranger's chest, but she couldn't. She groaned in frustration. Suddenly a female voice spoke to her.

" _Step away from the armor. Any further attempt to remove it will be considered a hostile act."_

"A hostile act?! How am I supposed to save his life if I cannot remove this armor?!" Mercy screamed in frustration at the suit. And then she felt as if a scanner's beam moved over her face. And the voice spoke again.

" _Identity confirmed as Angela Ziegler, codename Mercy, former Overwatch agent. Trust level: high in medical emergencies. Combat protocols medical override."_

Mercy couldn't believe her eyes. The strangers armor just begun to shift and transform, and a couple seconds later all that was left was a black trench coat, and a heavily blood stained white shirt. Mercy got to work on stabilizing the patient. Interrupted once by a cylindrical object rolling near to the stranger's body.

* * *

Villen regained consciousness for a few moments. He was lying on the floor, and he felt someone's presence by him, felt a touch on his chest amidst the pain. He tried opening his eyes. His right eye was flooded with blood and he couldn't see out of it. His left eye though spotted a being of incredible beauty kneeling beside him. An aureola on her head and wings shining behind her back. "An angel, how can that be."

That was Villen's last thought before he drifted back into the darkness

* * *

Once she has done all she could out here she looked up to see Reinhardt standing nearby.

"The transport is en route." He said before she could ask about it. "But are we sure we want to do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Doctor, we have no idea who this man is, for all we know he could be a Talon agent."

"I will not leave a man to die out here if I can save him! And if he IS a Talon agent, then 76 can interrogate him later. And he saved that woman too."

"I'm sorry, I don't like the idea of leaving a man to die either, but you know I had to ask." Reinhardt came over to the man and picked him up gently to carry him outside for transport.

"I know. We don't really want to bring unwanted attention to ourselves now that we are basically criminals. Thank you Wilhelm for your cautiousness, for I know I wouldn't be able to think about it in the moment like this." She smiled at him as they made their way outside. The hover jet was already waiting there so they hurried aboard.

"Seems like you have a long day ahead of you, doctor." Reinhard said setting the unconscious man on a medical bed inside the jet.

"A life saved is always worth the effort my friend." Mercy smiled sitting by the patient to monitor him on the way to Gibraltar.


	4. Friend or Foe

**Author's note**

 **So I've managed to finish another chapter and another of the "main cast" of overwatch appears!  
A shorter chapter because I didn't want to get into the next part of the story, as I don't know how long it will take. Hopefully the next chapter will be a bit longer.  
Yet again let me know all the spelling/grammatical mistakes I made.  
I hope you will enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

As they arrived at Gibraltar, Mercy had no idea how the man survived the shot to the head. It shredded the entire right side of his head, crushing through his skull and taking a bit of the brain with it leaving a massive exit wound behind. The knight was lucky enough he didn't get hit in the center of his head or there wouldn't be anything left to pick up.

As much as Mercy hated to admit it, the headshot combined with the two other bullets shattering his shoulders, causing the shards of bone to scatter throughout his body, should have killed the man easily. The blood loss alone should have been enough to finish the job if the shots didn't, even with Mercy's trying to stop the bleeding as best she could.

Yet the man was still alive when they arrived at the Watchpoint. He was still alive as he was set down on the medical bed in the medbay. Mercy quickly put the blood sample she took during the flight into the scanner. She needed to check what anesthetics she could use. Not bothering to look through the rest of the results due to the lack of time, she quickly prepared for the surgery. The man was still alive as she began her operation to remove the bullets, stem the bleeding and fix as much damage as she was able to.

* * *

After hours of work Mercy slumped onto a chair in her lab. She did what she could. Setting the bones as much as she could, digging out all the shards of bone and metal from the stranger's body. His skull posed the greatest challenge. She managed to reform the skull to it's original shape, and stimulate the regrowth of bone and skin with her technology. But the brain was a different matter entirely. She hoped all the medicine and nanites she used would help fix that somewhat, but the human brain was still incredibly hard to heal properly. Mercy had no idea what the final state of the man will be. And to even get him to that would probably take months of healing. Even though she left him in one of her biopods that accelerated healing.

Instead of resting, doctor Ziegler decided to run more tests on the stranger's blood. A few seconds after she put the vial into the scanning machine, the results started coming up on the display. This time Mercy was thoroughly studying them.

And suddenly everything became clear.

* * *

A well built man was walking down the corridors of Watchpoint:Gibraltar. His white hair moving slightly due to the quick pace of his stride. A red visor and a mask covering his face. He turned a corner and stopped in front of a door leading to the medbay. A bit further down the corridor he could see light shining out of an open door. The door to the lab next to the medbay. "Mercy must have moved to the lab already, probably to run some more tests." He thought.

Soldier: 76 walked into Mercy's lab. Athena notified him that the doctor was finished with the surgery. He didn't want to interrupt her during the operation. But the stranger was a potential threat to the security of their facility and he had to take measures to ensure their safety. He found the doctor sitting in her chair staring at the blood scanners display.

He cleared his throat causing the woman to jump up slightly, snapping her out of her thoughts. She turned to face him.

"Doctor, what's your _patient's_ condition." His gravelly voice broke the silence in the lab. She could hear the distrust towards the stranger seeping from his voice.

"I'm … not sure. He seems stable and may even … fully recover." She shook her head slightly as she said that, still not quite believing what she saw.

"Fully recover?" The soldier answered, surprised. "You really are a miracle worker then, doctor. Through all my years I have not seen a man recover from something like this. The luckiest ended up in a coma."

"I'm not sure it's entirely my doing, 76." She raised her head to look him in the eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" The eyes under his visor narrowed in suspicion.

"He, well … He has my nanites in his bloodstream."

"Your nanites?" He raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that normal after you heal someone?"

"Ordinarily yes. But they were there before. They were modified. My nanites deactivate after finishing the healing process, and are flushed from the body. The ones in his blood are based on my design but modified to stay active. And they seem more powerful too."

"That is rather disturbing, doctor. How could someone gain access to your technology like that. As far as we know even Talon was not able to replicate it." The soldier frowned. "We need to take precautions while handling this… case."

"I was really disturbed by this discovery as well 76. However I'm not sure if we have that much to worry about. It should take some time for him to recover, and the damage to his brain may be permanent." Mercy responded, standing up. "And that means we may never find out how he got the nanite tech. Not to mention the technology needed to create that armor of his."

"Yeah, if he is not gonna tell us I doubt we'll ever find out. Winston and Torbjörn were trying to find out something on their own, but that damn coat just threatens to blow itself to bits as soon as someone touches it."

"I barely managed to _convince_ it to deactivate so that I could save the operator. Weirdly it seemed to know who I am." Mercy said. The stranger kept getting more and more interesting.

"Brain damaged or not I will have restraints installed on his bed. And I don't want to hear objections in that matter, doctor. I have a feeling this guy is not done surprising us. Be careful." And without giving her a chance to respond he quickly turned on his heel and marched down the corridor.

* * *

For the next two days Mercy watched with both curiosity and shock as the stranger was rapidly recovering. It should have lasted much longer, but the nanites in his body just seemed to keep rebuilding him transforming both the medicine she provided and her own nanites into components they needed. 50 hours after she finished her surgery he was almost fully recovered. She called Soldier:76 and they moved him from the biopod onto the medical bed with the restraints. They were engineered especially to his probable strength, using both Mercy's expertise to estimate the strength of his normal muscles and Torbjörn's to measure the stranger's mechanical right arm.

After they clamped the restraints down over his wrists and ankles the soldier turned to Mercy.

"I will watch him now, doctor. You go get some rest." As soon as she opened her mouth to respond, he interrupted her. "No objections, Mercy. You know very well you need rest. And that wasn't a request either."

She frowned. He wasn't exactly their commander. That honor belonged to Winton. But he was the chief of security. And Angela knew arguing with him would be pointless.

She sighed. "Very well 76. I will be back in the morning. Try not to do anything stupid."

"I always try, doctor." He responded, and Mercy chuckled as she left the medbay moving towards her room.

After a quick shower Angela found herself lying in bed thinking about the stranger. The aura of mystery surrounding him was almost unbearable to her, and she wished she could just ask him all these questions that were bothering her. Who was he? Why did those people in the warehouse wanted to kill him? Where did he get all that technology? The fact that he was so close to being recovered didn't really help matters. She spent about an hour thinking and coming up with various theories in her mind until the fatigue from all these days finally caused her to drift off to sleep.

She didn't know how soon her wish would come true.

* * *

Soldier:76 spent the night in the medbay by either pacing around it or sitting down on one of the free medical beds. He kept his eyes on the stranger. The lamp above the knight's bed was the only source of light in the room. 76's visor was gleaming red in the darkness, as he kept out of range of the light.

As morning approached he noticed the stranger's eyes open. He tried to raise his arm but restraints stopped him. He struggled against them a few times. The soldier approached his bed from the left, emerging from the darkness. The man on the bed turned his head towards him.

"You are not going anywhere, pal. At least not until you answer my questions."


	5. Revival

**Author's note**

 **Whew! Another chapter done, and oh boy what a chapter it is, I just couldn't stop writing. Just as promised it is much longer. Probably my favourite out of them all up to this point. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
A big thank you to FleksAndru for the feedback. It is greatly appreciated.  
Yet again let me know all the spelling/grammatical mistakes I made.  
Enjoy!**

* * *

Villen slowly regained consciousness. On instinct, he kept his eyes closed and breathing steady, not wanting to reveal that he was conscious to whoever could be watching. He started remembering what happened. Villen felt a huge headache and pain in his shoulders but his training helped him remain as still as ever. Reaper shot him, but maybe he was just playing a game. It was possible that Talon captured him.

Villen concentrated on his surroundings. He was lying on a soft bed. He heard humming and beeping characteristic to medical equipment. He was in a lab of some kind, possibly a medbay. The sensors in his mechanical arm detected a single presence in the room.

"Only one person?" Villen thought, "Maybe they didn't think I would recover so quickly. I need to get them closer."

Villen opened his eyes. He tried to raise his hand to his forehead, seemingly a reflex to the headache, but found that it was stopped by something. He looked down and noticed a sturdy looking metal band surrounding his left wrist and a much thicker one around his right one. He struggled a few more times against them. He noticed that he was much weaker than usual. Probably the result of his wounds and recovery time, he thought.

And then he saw a figure stepping out of the shadows. A well built man with a red visor and a mask covering most of his face, his white hair shining in the medical light above Villen's bed as he stopped on the left of his bed. When the man spoke his voice was gravelly and deep.

"You are not going anywhere, pal. At least not until you answer my questions."

Villen turned his head towards the man, locking his eyes onto the red visor.

"What makes you think I want to answer your questions?" Villen tried to put as much force behind his voice, but it came out sounding weaker than he wanted it to, but was still firm and loud enough. He was tired and in pain, but showing weakness to a potential enemy is not something that he liked to do. "Who are you anyway?"

"I think you should want to answer me, pal, for it is the only way you are getting out of here. And I am the one asking questions here." A slight hint of anger could be heard in the white haired man's voice, but other than that he seemed calm.

"Well you better answer that one if you want to even have a chance of hearing some answers from me. I wouldn't want to share information with an enemy now, would I?" Villen responded, his mouth forming into a smirk. Speaking was painful but he had to keep the man focused on his interrogation.

And that's because as soon as the man approached his bed a small blade came out of the compartment on the underside of Villen's metallic arm. He carefully caught the blade in his fingers before it could hit the surface underneath it. He was doing it relying more on instinct and muscle memory as he had to keep focused on the conversation with his interrogator and was struggling against the pain. He gently activated the blade and it hummed with power. Villen started moving it across the restraint, as close to the table and very slowly to make it as silent as possible. The powered blade had some trouble cutting through the material but to Villen's relief not too much trouble. After he cut through one of the sides of the restraint he quickly twisted the blade in his hand and started slicing through the other side. The soldier interrogating him didn't seem to notice anything.

"Very well, I guess I can tell you that much. I'm with Overwatch, some of our agents found you in a warehouse and brought you here for treatment." the man said, answering Villen's question. The red visor was set on the knight's eyes as if studying them intently.

Villen laughed. "You must think me a fool. Overwatch has been disbanded. And sorry, _pal_ , but I haven't seen you on any of their posters." He answered mockingly. He was nearly done with cutting the restraint.

"If you don't believe me then that's your problem. Like I said you are no-"

Villen interrupted the man by quickly sitting up on the bed as far as he could and bringing his right arm right against the man's head. The power of his robotic limb was enough to knock the man unconscious. Villen managed to catch him as he twisted from the power of the blow, and put his arm around the interrogator's neck, lifting him onto himself as cover from potential shots, and leverage against whoever came to stop him.

Villen waited like that for about a minute, struggling against the pain and dizziness form exertion. Moving his eyes between the two entry points into, what he now determined was a medbay. Basic scans from his hand allowed him to establish that one of the doors led to what seemed like a corridor and the other to a side room, possibly a lab. The limited range on his sensors stopped him from learning much more.

After no one interfered he let the man slump onto the floor. Villen looked around quickly for the off switch to his restraints. Unable to find it he just cut through them with his blade, these ones barely offering any resistance as they were much thinner than the one covering his right arm.

"Someone has prepared this restraints for me. Thankfully they didn't know the full capabilities of this beauty." The thought brought a smile to his face, as he looked at his mechanical limb. He reinserted the blade into the hidden compartment in case he was apprehended again.

He stood up slowly flinching at the pain and almost falling over from the throbbing headache. He felt like his skull was going to split. He stood still breathing heavily. He concentrated on the pain and after a couple of seconds it faded significantly. He felt even more exhausted but he knew he had to get out of here.

And then he heard the door in the side room open and heard footsteps coming towards the door separating it from the medbay. His sensors once again picked up a singular presence. He made his way as quickly as possible to the side of the door and Villen gathered all his strength waiting in an ambush.

* * *

Mercy woke up early. The thoughts of the stranger accompanied her throughout her morning routine. Will he wake up today? What if he awoke during the night? All these thoughts made her distracted, making her routine last much longer, as she caught herself deep in thought a few times. As soon as he was finished she quickly went down the corridor towards the lab and the medbay. She entered the lab, quickly put on her labcoat and turned towards the door to the medbay.

The door between the medbay and the lab slid open. Mercy stepped into the room and almost immediately stopped in her tracks. The bed was empty and Soldier: 76 was lying on the floor next to it. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted something lunging towards her from the right. She instinctively jumped away but was stopped by the wall and a cabinet that was standing next to the door. Angela closed her eyes and braced for the inevitable hit.

But it never came.

A few seconds passed. Mercy was shaking. Why wasn't she hit?

She slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the stranger's robotic arm opened around her throat. It must have stopped just millimeters from it, right before it hit her skin. She traced the hand with her eyes, raising her gaze to the man's face. A pair of wide open intensively green eyes were staring back at her. She locked her own, deeply blue, eyes with his and they stood like that for a couple of seconds.

They say that eyes are the window to the soul. And Angela was somehow able to look right through those of the stranger in front of her. She saw a lot of both pain and fear in them, but they were covered by even more hope and goodness. Those were not the eyes of a bad man. This thought made Mercy relax a little. But not too much as the stranger's hand was still by her throat and he looked like he'd just seen a ghost.

And then the knight spoke. His voice was not too deep, it was laced with some inherent calm. And even though the stranger said but a few words Angela felt like she really liked the sound of his voice.

"T-the … angel. How can that be?" His voice was filled with emotions, it was obvious he felt conflicted. His hand seemed to retract slightly. "How can that be?" He repeated.

* * *

Villen was overwhelmed with emotions. He stopped his strike at the last moment after he saw the angel from before. She looked different, she was without her wings and a halo, and wearing a labcoat with a white shirt underneath it and a pair of jeans. But Villen knew it was her, he recognised her immediately. He was looking at her, looking into her deeply blue eyes and he fought with his thoughts. How could a being emanating such goodness and care have bad intentions. His survival instinct struggled with his feelings. She could not be trusted, she could be an agent of Talon. The words of the white haired man rang in his brain _"I'm with Overwatch"_. Could he be telling the truth. Or was it just a ploy by Talon, this beautiful being setting him up for a fall.

Villen felt his strength abandoning him. His mental struggle left him even more exhausted. His arm fell away from the angels throat and he fell to one knee struggling to keep on his feet.

The woman took that chance to run over to the man he knocked out earlier. She knelt down next to him and checked his pulse. Villen could hear her sighing in relief. He saw her reaching into her pocket, and pulling out what was clearly a communication device.

Villen instincts overtook him. This woman might not want to hurt him but he didn't know anything about her other companions. And the one he did know about was not exactly pleasant. He bolted across the room, adrenaline giving him the much needed strength. The woman jumped to her feet and turned towards him in fear as she heard his footsteps coming towards her. Villen grabbed the device from her hand before she could use it. Then he twisted the woman around and but his human arm around her neck, her back now turned to him. He wasn't being overly forceful but he needed to have her in his control at this moment.

"No… There will be no calling anyone." He said breathing heavily. "You will now take me to my suit. Please cooperate, I don't want to have to hurt you."

"Please, you don't have to do this." The angel spoke and how angelic her voice sounded to Villen. It was incredibly gentle and soothing, even in this situation. He also heard genuine care in her voice, like she was worried about him. "You should be resting, you were hurt. Please, we don't have to be enemies."

Villen struggled yet again with his emotions. She attacked this woman, yet she still seemed to care about his health. She couldn't be with Talon, could she? But the paranoid part of Villen's brain, that formed because of all these years of running still managed to get the upper hand. This could all be a facade after all, designed to make him lower his defences, to give up and give Talon easy access to him.

"Maybe so," Villen spoke making his voice sound as calmly as he could manage, "but we will discuss it when we are on even footing, after I get my gear back, not sooner. I will not be tricked into any games. Not anymore."

"Very well." The angel responded. "I will take you to your gear."

"And don't try anything." He loosened his grip a little to give the woman some space, so that she could walk somewhat freely and lead him to their destination, but he kept close so that in a second he could pull her closer if the need arose.

They entered the corridor. And the woman spoke again.

"Please, listen to-"

"No." He interrupted her, his voice quiet but stern. "No talking. I want this done quickly and quietly. We will speak later."

* * *

They stopped in front of the door to the armory. Their trek here was uneventful. They haven't met anyone on their way there, mostly because of the morning hours. Villen found that unsettling. He expected way more guards and personnel he would need to avoid, but the corridors were empty. He and the woman walked up to the terminal next to the door.

"Open it. And no tricks."

She quickly put her hand on the scanner and a second later the door slid open.

"No tricks." She said looking back at him.

As they entered Villen's eyes were quickly drawn to his black trenchcoat that was hanging on one of the armor stands inside. On a stack of boxes next to it lay a familiar cylindrical object. He closed the door behind them and they quickly made their way over to his suit.

"I will release you now while I put on my gear. Do not try to run." Villen said calmly and the woman nodded to show she understands.

He let her go and quickly grabbed his coat. He quickly put it on. The coat fell loosely over his body. There was nothing else on the upper part of his body except the bandages. The lower part was covered by loose white trousers which as he guessed were part of the patients' attire.

She caught the woman staring him up and down but before he could say anything a familiar voice rang through his head.

" _Sir, I am glad to see you alive. However I must say that you look terrible."_

"Not now Vea." Villen said and the doctor looked up at him snapped out of her thoughts, "Activate combat protocols."

" _Activating combat protocols now."_

The woman in the room took a step back and gasped, as she watched in awe yet again at the stranger's armor transforming. She was even more shocked to see that both bullet holes in the chestplate were gone, the helmet looked undamaged and there was not a drop of blood left on the armor.

"I see you repaired the armor Vea, thank you." With his helmet now up Villen could talk without the woman in front of him hearing anything if he wanted to.

" _Indeed I took the liberty to use your blood and nanites as well as some surplus material for the repairs. The amount of matter was adequate."_

Even though Villen was exhausted, he chuckled at the AI's remark. "Well I am glad that I lost enough blood for you. But enough of this, back to business."

He looked down at the woman in front of him. She was examining his armor, the awe still lingering on her face from both the transformation and how beautiful and ornate the armor looked.

Villen's helmet folded back into his armor and he cleared his throat. The woman looked up at him.

"Now we can talk. I apologize for the rough treatment of you, milady, and your companions, but I had to do what was necessary to ensure both my survival and preservation of my armor." Villen stated, his voice calm and official, although filled with exhaustion despite his best efforts. The angelic woman's eyebrows raised

"You still don't know if I am not with Talon yet you are apologizing to me?" The woman responded surprised.

"As honor commands milady. During recent years I found that if you don't know someone's intent it is safe to assume that it is not good. Especially if you are in a… position of vulnerability." He sighed. "But as there is still a chance that your intentions may be good I must apologize for my actions as they might have been unjustified."

The woman smiled and let out a small chuckle. Villen looked at her confused.

"Oh Reinhardt would love you." She smiled at Villen as he tilted his head and raised his eyebrow getting even more confused. "But that I guess that will hopefully come later. Please, let me introduce myself. My name is-" She got interrupted by the armory door opening. She twisted to see who it was and Villen instinctively grabbed the cylindrical object from the box next to him, his helmet quickly closing over his head. He saw an armored robotic figure enter the room. It stopped in the door surprised quickly glancing between Villen and the woman, the green of his visor pulsing. It didn't recognise him and quickly unsheathed its sword from the holster on its back getting into a combat stance. The sword was a katana, its blade half black, half luminescent green.

Villen squeezed the cylinder in his hand. This time it formed a beautifully ornate sabre. It was his family's heirloom. A piece of history that he added to his arsenal for both sentimental and practical reasons. There was no other weapon he would chose in a duel with another swordsman. He adopted a dueling stance twisting his body sideways to his enemy. He thanked himself for making his armor so lightweight and unrestrictive. All of this happened in a matter of seconds both enemies staring each other down.

And in the middle of it all stood the angelic woman. She looked at the person entering the armory, back at Villen and before she managed to turned back to the figure in the door they were both standing weapons drawn.

"Genji!" The woman exclaimed looking back at the figure in the door.

"Doctor Ziegler, are you unhurt?" A male voice, sounding only slightly robotic came from the figure.

"Could there be a man in that armor?" Villen thought. "Or perhaps a cyborg?"

"I am fine Genji, please lower your weapon." Villen was surprised to hear that from the woman.

"Lower my … weapon?" The man sounded as surprised. "But isn't that the prisoner you and-" He got interrupted by the woman's angelic voice.

"A patient, not a prisoner Genji. 76 insisted that we restrain him only because we didn't know who he was. But I have a feeling he is not our enemy."

The robotic man glanced a few times between the two of them. Then he nodded.

"If you are certain, doctor." He said as he slowly lowered his weapon. Villen also started to lower his blade.

"I am, Genji. Now please go wake 76, he's in the medbay."

"Doctor, are you sure I should leave you alone with him?"

"I was alone for quite some time and he has not hurt me. I will be fine, Genji."

"As you wish, doctor. I trust your judgment. I will return after I wake 76." The robotic man bowed, twisted in place and marched down the corridor. The doctor closed the door behind him and turned to Villen. His weapon folded back into the cylinder and he attached it to his belt. He adjusted his body to be facing the woman and once again removed his helmet.

"You are very brave to send away your comrade like that, milady. Especially since neither of us still know who the other person is."

"Perhaps. But I have a good feeling about you. I saw the goodness in your eyes." She gave him a warm smile. "Maybe now I will finally be able to introduce myself." She chuckled slightly bringing a smile to Villen's face as well. "My name is Angela Ziegler, better known as Mercy. And I would like to properly, if somewhat late, welcome you in the name of the rebuilding Overwatch." She extended her hand to him.

As Villen extended his hand and stepped forward a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

" _Identity confirmed. Doctor Angela Ziegler is a very distinguished person in the world of medicine."_

"You mean you knew all this time Vea? Why didn't you say anything?"

" _You didn't ask. And it was a rather amusing situation."_

"Amusing?! I could have killed her and that Genji fellow!"

" _Do not worry I would have intervened before it came to that."_

"Of course you would have." Villen rolled his eyes. "But next time-" He stopped as he looked at the woman standing in front of him. She had lowered her hand a bit and was looking at him confused. He remembered that she could only hear half of that conversation. He blushed and lowered his gaze in embarrassment.

"Erm… sorry about that, milady." He muttered.

"Vea?"

"Yes she is the AI in my suit. She can communicate with me without anyone hearing because of an implant in my ear." Villen explained quickly.

"Ah I see. I wondered what that implant was for." She smiled at him again.

"Once again I apologize for the confusion.". Villen took the woman's, still extended, hand in his own twisting it gently and bowing to place a small kiss on the to of Mercy's hand. "My name is Villen Borch. Better known as Hussar. It is an honor to meet an exalted persona such as yourself milady."

Mercy could feel herself blush. She let go of his hand and smiled at him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Mister Borch." She nodded slightly.

"Please, call me Villen." He returned the smile. "And I assure you Lady Ziegler, the pleasure is all mine."

She blushed a bit harder, the smile on her face only getting bigger and more warm. Seeing her like this made Villen feel inexplicably good.

"Thank you for your kind words Villen. And please, call me Angela." She looked in his eyes for a second and then continued. "So how about you join me for a cup of coffee and something to eat so that I can learn more about you?"

"Of course Lady Angela, I'd be happy too. I hope I will get to learn about you as well."


	6. Dying wish

**Author's note**

 **First of all, sorry for the much longer wait between this chapter and the last one. I really struggled with this one.  
This chapter is mostly backstory. As will most likely be the next one. There is quite a lot of setup to go through. Maybe a bit more than I thought, but it offers an interesting challenge.  
Another reason why it took a bit longer is that with chapter 5 I finished most of my pre-planned story so now it's all new territory for me.  
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think.  
Yet again let me know all the spelling/grammatical mistakes I made.  
Have a good read!**

* * *

Villen took out Angela's communication device from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Here you go, milady. I apologise for taking it from you before."

Mercy took the device from him and chuckled.

"Please, you don't have to apologize for everything you did today. I understand it completely. Unknown surroundings and people will force us to act in a certain way. Especially if you are hunted." She looked at Villen with eyes filled with understanding and a warm smile across her face. Villen returned the smile.

"Thank you, Lady Angela."

She turned away from him and started to walk towards the armory door.

"Let's go get that coffee."

Villen followed closely beside her. He quickly realized however that the coffee may have to wait. Now that all the excitement started to wear off he felt incredibly weak. The pain he felt before came back with force. He struggled for breath.

Villen stopped at the door and put his forearm on the door frame leaning on it for support.

"Vea, pl- please disable the co- combat protocols." As the suit started reverting to the trench coat, Mercy who noticed something was not right, came up to him. Villen thought that getting out of the armor would make the breathing easier. It didn't.

"Of course, you must be really exhausted and in a lot of pain." She said, the genuine concern in her voice made Villen feel a strange warmth inside. A frown formed on her forehead"In all of this excitement I almost forgot that you were seriously injured. I'm sorry."

"It is I, who sh- should apologize, m- milady." He slumped to one knee. He was gasping for breath after every few words. Even though Mercy tried, she wasn't able to quite support his weight. She reached into her pocket for the communicator. "It would a- appear I won't quite make it to the meeting t- today." Villen turned her head towards Mercy, who was desperately trying to find something on her phone, while also supporting him as much as she could. He looked into her blue eyes and smiled. And then he lost consciousness and fell onto the floor.

Mercy was finally able to call Genji. He answered almost immediately.

"Doctor, is every-" He was not allowed to finish as Angela spoke, urgency filling her voice.

"Genji, are you still in the medbay?!"

"Yes, I just managed to-"

"Good. Bring a stretcher to the armory, stat." And she hung up moving to check on Villen.

* * *

" _Sir, wake up. We need to talk."_

Villen opened his eyes. He sat up quickly and looked around the room. He found himself back in the medbay. He scanned his surroundings quickly. There was no one else in the room.

"How long was I out?" Villen rubbed the bridge of his nose. The exhaustion still lingered on his body but he felt much better already. "And what happened after I passed out?"

" _You were unconscious for the past 21 hours 35 minutes and 21 seconds. You were moved to the medbay by doctor Angela Ziegler on a stretcher that Genji Shimada and Soldier:76 arrived at the armory with. Upon arrival you were stabilized by doctor Ziegler who then continued monitoring your vitals for the next 19 hours 44 minutes and 41 seconds. Then she was retrieved by Genji Shimada and both of them left the medbay. Nobody entered the medbay since. I have spent the last 35 minutes 12 seconds to covertly set up a dampening field that would allow us to converse without anyone listening in."_

Villen frowned at the last part. "I have not authorized it. Why did you feel the need to do that Vea?"

" _You may trust doctor Ziegler and maybe even her companions, sir, but I have found extensive surveillance equipment all around this base. It is clearly a military installation. Granted, a lot of the equipment is in poor condition or malfunctioning. Even if this reformed Overwatch is on the same side as we are, Sir, I do not know the state of their security. Even if they are not listening in, doesn't mean someone else isn't, Sir."_

Villen sighed. "Very well Vea, you raise a good point. Now, what did you want to talk about?"

" _Sir, I have checked with the database and found that doctor Angela Ziegler is the creator of the nanites you upgraded."_

Villen's face turned slightly pale. "Are you sure?"

" _Of course I am, Sir."_

"How did I not know this?" Villen whispered, a frown formed on his head as he was trying to remember his work on the nanites.

" _Well, Sir, I believe you were working under a lot of… pressure when upgrading the nanites. Perhaps you were to preoccupied to pay attention to the name of their creator."_

"That is probably one of the reasons why they were so suspicious towards me. I doubt anyone outside Overwatch should have access to that research. I will need to find Lady Angela and explain this situation to her."

" _Are you sure this is wise, Sir? You would have to give up one of your family's biggest secrets to do so."_

"I am aware of that Vea. But I basically stole her research and used it for my own gains. I felt bad enough about it even though I knew it was my only chance. Now I get the chance to repay for that at least in some way. And I have a good feeling about this reforming Overwatch."

" _Understood, Sir. Do you intend to join forces with them?"_

"If I learn that they are in fact trying to do good then I will consider it. I am tired of running from Talon, Vea. And with Overwatch maybe I would finally have the support I need to fight them. Assuming, of course, that they would even want me joining with them."

" _They will probably want to know a lot more about you, Sir."_

"I am aware, Vea. I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to it. Now is there anything else?"

" _Not at the moment, Sir."_

"Great. I shall go back to sleep then, I still feel tired and I'm going to use the relative safety of this facility to rest for at least a bit more." Villen lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes. "Goodnight Vea."

" _Goodnight, Sir."_

* * *

Villen's sleep was light. Even though he felt relatively safe he couldn't help it. After years of being on the run and a few instances when he was nearly killed in his sleep Villen learned to be vigilant even in his sleep. The nanites helped with that, managing his energy better and getting more of it from food. The downside was that Villen had not have a dream in a very long time.

A sound of a door sliding open and footsteps woke him up. He sat up quickly and scanned his surroundings. There was nobody in the room, the sound came from Mercy's lab. Villen stood up next to the bed facing the door. It slid open soon after and, sure enough, the angelic woman entered the room, her nose buried in a datapad she was holding.

"Good morning, Lady Angela." Villen said, calmly, a smile on his face.

Mercy jumped slightly, clearly startled by Villen being awake. The look of surprised on her face quickly changed into one of worry however as she started approaching him.

"Villen, you should be resting. Or have you not learned from the previous time you exerted yourself too much?" She smiled as she placed her hand on his shoulder pushing him lightly to sit down. Villen, unsure why, did not offer resistance and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Lady Angela, I feel quite rested for now. The na-" He paused, frowning. He wanted to explain to her how he had her nanites. But when he looked into Mercy's blue eyes, a wave of immense guilt washed over him and he lowered his head. Painful memories started flooding back, and this time he was not able to stop them.

Mercy noticed the pained expression forming on the knight's face.

"Are you sure you're alright, Villen? I can see that something is bothering you."

Villen stood up his head still lowered. And then almost immediately fell to his left knee in front of her, he rested his arm on his right knee and lowered his head even more to the point his forehead almost touched his arm.

Angela was quite surprised by the sudden gesture and took a few steps back. She was getting more and more worried. Not sure how to react she decided to wait for Villen to make his move.

"Lady Angela, I-" Villen took a deep breath to try and keep his voice from trembling. It didn't help. "I would like to offer my most sincere apologies for-" He paused again, the overwhelming shame barely allowing the word to squeeze through his throat, "for _stealing_ your research and using it for my own gains."

Angela frowned. She walked up to the kneeling knight, knelt next to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, I'm sure you had your reasons."

"I did, but that doesn't excuse my actions. I-" His voice still trembling, he stopped to catch a breath. Angela used the brief pause.

"Can you tell me what those reasons were?" She said calmly and smiled even though the knight was not looking at her. Villen just couldn't bare to look her in the eyes at that moment.

"I- I was dying. My cells were losing cohesion after a... failed experiment. I managed to create a containment field to slow the process down but it was too temporary. I needed a solution and nanites seemed like the best way to go. B- but I didn't have time to design them on my own and I had access to your research so… I betrayed one of my principles to save my life." His voice was filled with emotions and Mercy couldn't help but feel sorry for the man in front of her. She tightened the grip on his shoulder. Her second hand grabbed the side of his face gently as she attempted to raise his head. He was resisting but Mercy managed to raise his head far enough to notice tears in the knight's eyes. As soon as he started speaking again the tears began running down his face. "I saved myself so that she wouldn't be alone. I saved myself because I was the only one she had left. I couldn't just leave her alone because I was reckless and stupid. I- I just couldn't." Villen turned away from Angela as even more tears started pouring down his face. Why was she telling her all this. He never told anyone this. "But I should have just said goodbye to her. Maybe- maybe she would still be here if I did. I couldn't protect her. I couldn't-" He would have collapsed to the floor if it wasn't for Mercy hugging him. When did that even happen? Villen didn't even notice, there was only one thing he could think about at the moment. "I failed her. I failed my little Anna, my little sister. I doomed her because of my stupidity. My weakness." Villen was still unsure why he was telling all of this to Angela, a woman he only just met. But there was an aura about her that made him feel like he could trust her, that she could help him somehow. His entire body was trembling, the release of emotions he kept inside for so many long years shaking him to his core. What has this woman done to him? He wasn't exactly known for willingly showing weakness. But telling her all of this felt good somehow, as if a huge weight started to get lifted from his shoulders that he didn't even realise was there. As if a a grip on his heart loosened.

Mercy wasn't sure how to react to Villen's confession. However she really wanted to help him. From his reaction it was obvious to Mercy that the man didn't share this with many people, if any. Even though it would be painful for him now, Angela knew that sharing all of this would help him in the long run. She kept her embrace of the knight, and moved her hand up and down his back trying to console him a bit. After a few minutes he seemed to calm down a bit.

Villen took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Angela's presence helped with that. He was incredibly grateful to her for listening to him, for being here. But simultaneously he felt bad at just throwing all of this onto her.

"L- lady Angela, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I- I've never-" Villen's voice was still trembling. Angela tightened her embrace for a few seconds.

"It's alright Villen. Come on, get it all out. It will help, I promise." She paused for a second, "Tell me about your sister." The woman's angelic voice calmed Villen. He took another deep breath. He has already said too much, he thought. Then again, why stop now if he was already across that line. Maybe it really would help if he shared his story with someone. He sighed.

"Lady Angela, I don't want to… trouble you any more than I already have… I really shouldn't have-"

"Nonsense." Angela said her voice calm, yet stern. "It's obvious you need someone to talk to, so talk to me." She released him and sat down on the floor next to him, crossing her legs. She reached out with one hand and tried to raise his head again. This time, Villen did not resist and raised his head, however his gaze was still lowered. Mercy smiled. "Look, Villen, you need somebody to confide in, and I can be that someone. Don't worry I won't tell anyone about this. I'm used to keeping people's secrets. Doctor-patient confidentiality."

Villen looked up slightly and noticed the warm smile on Mercy's face. He still couldn't bear to look her in the eyes, but seeing that smile made him feel better.

"Very well." Villen said, his voice much calmer now, as he shifted his position to sit cross-legged as well. He was slumped forward, his head lowered, his arms resting on his legs. "I am willing to share this story with you, Lady Angela. But I have to warn you that knowing even that could put you in grave danger. A lot of people are after my secrets, and if they somehow found out that you-" Villen looked up at her but, just like last time, only slightly raising his gaze.

"You don't have to worry about me Villen, I'm used to danger and being a target after working with Overwatch for so long, not to mention being a combat medic." She put grabbed on of Villen's hands and squeezed gently. "I'm not afraid." A reassuring smile appeared on her face.

"Very well then. I will still try to spare you the most dangerous details." Villen sighed, preparing himself for the tale.

"I suppose I should start from the beginning. My sister was born when I was five years old. Unfortunately my mother died while giving birth, which left me and my father shattered. For the first year my father was somewhat involved with taking care of my sister, however most of the time that responsibility fell to our house help and myself. Which was not easy for me, but I felt obligated to care for my little sister. The next two years my father barely left his lab so I was the only member of the family that Anna would see. That's probably when she'd taken such a liking to me." Villen smiled at the thought. "At the end of those two years my father finally came out of his lab. He spent the next days much more engaged with us than he had ever been since my mother's death and then, after about a week, he just didn't wake up. I was left alone to take care of my sister, the house and family business. Thankfully I had help from our majordomo. My father trusted him and I liked him, so after he volunteered to take over most of the responsibilities and offered to teach me how to handle them myself I quickly agreed. He really was a great man… Anyway, when I entered the lab I found that my father spent the last two years recording messages to me and documenting his knowledge, so that I could take over his work. He also left us a goodbye message, explaining that he could not find a way to live without my mother, and that we only reminded him of her. He knew he wouldn't live long so he sacrificed the last few years we could have had with him to secure our future…"

Villen paused and looked up at Angela. She had a frown on her face as she listened to him intently. After taking another deep breath he continued.

"I spent the next ten years going to private schools, while also learning what I needed to run the business and taking care of my sister her education. It wasn't easy and I can't say that the Omnic Crisis helped matters much either. Thankfully my sister simply adored me, and I had a soft spot for her as well. She was incredibly smart and cunning from a very young age. Always wanted me to read books about legendary knights and such when she was little, and even afterwards, when she grew up. She just loved listening to stories. And I guess all those stories shaped my character to fit the knights she so adored." Another weak smile appeared on Villen's face. He thought for a moment and the continued.

"Anna was always saying that I could be a hero like them. And I really liked the idea of that and also really wanted her to be proud of me. I started to spend more time in the lab, running different experiments and studying various technologies my family's… assets allowed me access to. I mentioned one of those experiments before, the one that almost cost me my life…" Villen sighed. "I never even told her about it. I never told her how close I was to death. I just spent the next couple of weeks giving her even more of my attention. She was never particularly interested in continuing my father's work or running the business, because, as she told me, I had that covered. She almost entirely fell into the world of art. And she really had talent. For both painting and music. She had a piano put into the corner of the lab, and she would often play there while I worked. I… I still put on the recordings of her playing while I work and it still helps me focus…" Villen lowered his head again and sighed. Oh, what he would give to hear her play something for him again.

"Anyway that whole knight thing really stuck to me. I still remember the day when I came out of the lab in the upgraded family armor. Anna's eyes just lit up when she saw me. She was so excited when I showed her some of the armor's features. It was nowhere near upgraded as it is now, but it did its job. I started patrolling nearby towns and cities and managed to stop a couple of crimes. My sister was overjoyed. As more years passed I only got better." Villen took a deep breath. He looked up at Mercy as if to check if she was still listening. She smiled as he raised his head. Villen braced himself for the next part of the story.

"And then I got overconfident. I had intel about Talon operations in a nearby area. And I started disrupting them. Successfully. They never knew who I was. I was being careful. And then they found the mole I had inside their organization. And he betrayed me and my family. They still didn't know the location of our home, but they knew about us. And before I realised they managed to track down my sister in her art school. They kidnapped her from right in front of the school building in broad daylight. They did it to show me that they had that kind of power. And I- I didn't get to her in time. I managed to find out where they have taken her, but by the time I got there she was on the brink of death. I couldn't save her. All I could do was apologize to her, while she was dying in my arms…" Tears started to flow down Villen's cheeks again. He was back there again, seeing his sister in his arms, reliving that moment, as he relayed it to Mercy.

* * *

 _Villen burst into the room. He noticed his sister lying strapped to the bed in the middle, two men moving from behind the bed towards the intruder. He charged at them quickly dispatching them with a few swings of his sword. He ran up to his sister. Cutting through the restraints he examined her body. She was bleeding heavily, her whole body bruised horribly._

" _No Anna, please no! What have they done to you?!" His voice trembled as he tried to stem the bleeding using some bandages he had in a pouch on his belt. "Come on Anna, please stay with me!"_

 _Anna opened her eyes slightly, she turned her head towards her brother._

" _V- illen is that you?" She said weakly. Villen placed one hand on her cheek, took off his helmet and looked her in the eyes._

" _Yes, dear sister I'm here. Don't worry it's going to be alright." He forced a smile on his face._

" _You- you came f-for me…" She coughed a few times. "Like a k- knight of legend." A small smile appeared on her face. Villen felt tears running down his face._

" _You are here because of me, Anna. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry you had to go through this."_

" _N- no Vil. You h- help people. T- they want you to stop. But you can't." She slowly raised her hand and Villen immediately grabbed it with his own. "You n-need to be strong. For me."_

" _I will be, Anna. I promise. But first I will get you out of here." After he said that he picked her up from the table and headed towards the exit._

" _Y- you would be p- proud, Vi- l. I t- old them nothing." She looked him in the eyes as he carried her._

" _Of course I'm proud of you sister. I always were. And you have always been strong. Stronger than me."_

" _I- I' am proud of y- ou to Vi- l. You a- re a real hero."_

" _But I have failed to protect you, Anna. You suffered because of me." Villen could barely see where he was going because of the tears in his eyes._

" _N- no. You ga- ve me hope." Her voice was getting weaker and weaker. "Con- tinue being a hero f- or me ple-ase. H- elp those who need it." Her eyes started closing._

" _Anna stay with me, please. You can get through this, you can!"_

" _I- love you brother."_

" _I love you too, dear sister. Now please, stay with me!"_

" _I- will fina-lly meet mom." A smile formed on her face. "G-goodbye brother, I- lo- ve you-" With her last breath, she closed her eyes, her body going limp in his arms. Villen felt to his knees and hugged his sister's body tightly._

" _Noo! Anna, don't leave me! You are the only one left! Please. Anna!" His body rocking back and forth he cradled her. "I'm so sorry, sister. I'm so sorry."_

* * *

When the memory left him he found that Angela was now holding both his hands tightly. He felt tears streaming down his face. Villen felt incredibly sad, and yet he felt more at peace than he felt in years. He finally managed to look up into Angela's eyes only to find them filled with tears.

"Villen," she said, her voice trembling slightly, "I'm terribly sorry for your loss. But it seems to me, that you did what you could to save your sister."

"She wouldn't even be in that situation if it wasn't for me." Villen said weakly.

"She wanted you to be a hero. And you made it happen, for her. She didn't blame you for what happened, so you shouldn't blame yourself." She gave him a warm smile. "You honor her well with your actions, Villen"

Villen knew that Angela meant what she said. A part of him was always trying to convince him that he did what he could for Anna, but hearing it from the angelic woman finally made it seem true. How could he ever repay her. His started to feel at ease. Was he even worth the attention this woman was giving him?

"Thank you, Lady Angela. For what you said and the fact that you were willing to listen. It all means a lot to me. I will be forever grateful to you." He paused for a second. "You truly are an angel, milady. For I believe you've brought me salvation."


	7. Eternal oath

**Author's note**

 **Another chapter appears! With yet more setup and backstory! And some more mystery! Well, now I'm not sure if it's not a bit much.  
Here comes even more of the regular Overwatch "cast".  
Huge thanks to KeepingThemAtBay for another review! Based on your review, I think you might like this chapter ;]  
Yet again let me know all the spelling/grammatical mistakes I made.  
Enjoy the story!**

 **This chapter is a direct continuation of the previous one.**

* * *

"Salvation?" Mercy blushed, "That's a bit of an overstatement, don't you think?"

Villen smiled. He stood up from the floor and offered his hand to Angela. She grabbed it and used his support to stand up as well.

"No, Lady Angela. If anything it is an understatement." He looked into her eyes. "In such a short period of time you managed to save not only my body, but I feel like you have saved my soul as well. Not to mention that you, although indirectly and unknowingly, which again, I am terribly sorry about, have saved my life countless times in the past through your nanotechnology. You were my guardian angel for over half my life, and I cannot even begin to repay you for that."

Villen's words were making Angela blush. She always loved seeing the gratitude in the eyes of people she saved. This time however, it was somehow different. She could see the pain behind the knight's eyes, that she saw so much of earlier, slowly disappearing, being replaced by peace, calmness and eternal gratitude.

"Please, Villen. You don't have to repay me for anything. Helping people is- just what I do. Seeing that you are getting better is reward enough for me. And you do not need to keep apologising for using my research. I understand why you did it and I am glad that it helped you. And from what I have seen you modified the nanites quite extensively, so you shouldn't give me credit for them saving your life." A big warm smile appeared on her face as she looked into his green eyes.

"I may have modified them, but if it wasn't for you I never would have finished them in time, and that's assuming I would even get nanites working in the first place. No, Lady Angela, of course I will give you credit for them." He saw her opening her mouth to protest, so he quickly added "And that is not up for discussion, milady." He smiled as he paused. "And even though my debt to you can never be repaid…"

Before Mercy could protest Villen reached for the cylinder attached to his belt. He fell to his right knee his sword unfolding in his hand. He placed the point of the sword on the floor in front of him, holding it upside down. His hands were gripping the hilt firmly. He lowered his head so that it touched the pommel, that was shaped like a head of a dragon, its mouth open. Mercy, unsure how to react, was watching in shock as the knight quickly assumed that position. She was about to say something when Villen spoke.

"I, Villen Borch, of the coat of arms Three Jackdaws, pledge my services to you, Lady Angela Ziegler. I shall shield you with all my might. Should you ask, I shall offer my counsel with all my wisdom. I shall guard any secrets you would choose to entrust me with all my willpower. And I shall give my life for yours if need be. So I swear on my honor and that of my house."

Mercy was simply stunned by the pledge. She was shaking her head as he was talking, trying to stop him from making it but it was no use.

"Villen, y- you really don't need to do any of that." She struggled to collect her thoughts, still overwhelmed by the knight's oath. Her face was flushed with red. "You really don't owe me anything."

"But of course I do, Lady Angela." Villen said, standing up slowly. His sword folded swiftly and he attached the cylinder back to his belt. "And I do have to do it, as honor demands it. If you ever need anything, all you need is just ask. I will use all of my house's extensive resources and do anything in my power to help." Villen smiled. The genuine, warm smile made Angela blush even more. She lowered her gaze.

"I- I really don't deserve that." She said quietly.

"Of course you do, milady. I must say that it is not a matter of discussion. The oath has been cast and I believe it to be a righteous and honorable one. May it last and be kept for eternity."

A sudden sound of a door sliding open startled them. Villen immediately moved to stand between the door and Angela, he managed however to stop himself from reaching for his weapon as they were in friendly territory. A big furry hand moved through the door and a moment later a giant gorilla entered the medbay. It had a white and gray armor on, and Villen noticed a pair of rectangular glasses resting on its head. He was speaking as he entered. His voice was low and growling slightly, but not in an unpleasant way.

"Doctor are you in here? I-" He paused as he noticed Villen with Angela leaning out from behind him, her face blushed. "Oh, uhm… Am I… interrupting something?"

* * *

Mercy tried to fight off the blush. "No Winston, come in please. We were- just talking." She smiled as she moved from behind Villen. "I suppose I should formally introduce you to each other. Winston, please meet Villen Borch. And Villen, this is Winston, our current commander."

The gorilla walked up to Villen and extended his hand, which the knight grabbed firmly and shook. "A pleasure to finally talk to you Villen. I have to say, we were all quite relieved when the good doctor said you were not an enemy." He smiled letting go of Villen's hand.

Villen squinted slightly as he tried to remember something. "It is good to meet you as well. So you are the commander of this reforming Overwatch?"

"Well, I suppose so. Commander is a pretty big word for how small our organisation still is. We are all trying our best to get Overwatch back on its legs. But as you might imagine it is not easy with us violating the Petras Act and the lack of funds. We are barely keeping this watchpoint running. But we reformed to help the people and that's what we are going to do. We have already managed to run a couple of missions here and there to disrupt enemy activity. I have to say I am quite proud of that." Winston straightened himself slightly and a big smile appeared on his face. Villen could see that he was indeed really proud of what they were able to accomplish with so little resources. The knight himself was impressed as well.

"Well my big friend, I that I can help to alleviate at least some of your problems. I believe your intentions are good and your cause is just and if Lady Angela were to vouch for you and your organisation and confirm that you are indeed trying to ensure peace, I would be willing to ally house Borch with Overwatch and offer our considerable resources to your cause." Villen smilled. Winston looked stunned. The gorilla was processing the information and looked at Angela in confusion. She looked as confused as he, especially because the knight pointed her out to vouch for Overwatch.

"W-well Villen, I will of course vouch for the good intention of Winston and the reforming Overwatch. Ensuring the peace is why Winston recalled us to service to begin with. There is however little we can do at the moment but we are trying our best, just like Winston mentioned earlier." She paused for a second. "But I have to point out that I am a part of this organisation so there is a conflict of interests and I cannot be impartial. Surely you see that." She frowned as she looked at the knight. Winston moved his gaze to him as well, looking at the knight with anticipation.

"Technically you are correct, Lady Angela. However I believe you are a good person and you would not associate with anyone meaning to cause harm to innocent people. I am one of the people who believed in Overwatch before it got dismantled. I just needed to hear your confirmation, as your words carry much weight to me." Villen turned his head to Winston. "I will not join Overwatch for now as my duty is to my house first. However, as I said, I am willing to ally my house with you. I cannot say specifically what benefits Overwatch will gain from this alliance, as arrangements need to be made first. I can however, promise you that you will not regret it. In any case I myself will make myself available as on operative. My skills are quite extensive and I have years of experience running various missions." Villen extended his hand. "So, what do you say commander Winston?"

As much as Winston wanted to shake on it right then and there he had to be a responsible leader. "And what would you expect in return, Mr Borch?"

Villen kept his hand extended. "I think it would mostly be access to your facilities for myself at least. So that I can work on my armor while I'm here and be able to use any other Overwatch watchpoints as staging grounds for my operations. I'm sure we will work out the details later when you will be able to clearly see what I am offering."

Winston looked to Angela. "I believe this arrangement could be beneficial for us, Winston. And I have reasons to believe we can trust Villen." She smiled and nodded. Winston looked back at Villen and smiled as well as he went to shake Villen's hand.

"We need all the help we can get right now. Thank you for the offer, I look forward to working with you." Winston let go of the knight's hand. "I will notify the rest that you have access to the facility now."

"Thank you for putting your trust in me, commander Winston, you will not regret it. Now if you don't mind I would indeed like to make use of that access. An access to the mess hall to be exact. I have to say I am starving." Villen laughed and the others followed suit. "If you could direct me there, I would be grateful."

"I can take you there." Said Winston.

"Oh no, the directions will be quite enough, as I believe you had business with Lady Angela. I will not delay that any longer."

Winston smiled. He nodded and quickly gave Villen the directions to the mess hall. Villen excused himself and left the medbay.

* * *

Villen sat down by one of the tables in the mess hall. He set a tray with some rations he found in the kitchen and a cup of coffee. He examined the room. Like many other he has seen in the watchpoint it was not in a very good state. The sign of disuse and lack of maintenance were showing everywhere. Villen sighed and started eating. After he was finished he pulled out a palm-sized device from his coat's inside pocket. It was shaped like a scale with a slight bulge in the middle. He pressed on top of the bulge and a small compartment slid open revealing an emitter hidden behind it. Villen started speaking in a different language.

"Vea, establish connection with the Nest. And please, make sure it's secure."

After a few second a familiar female voice rang in Villen's head. _"Connection established. I have Henry on the line."_

"Great, put him through."

The device in front of him flickered to life. A holographic projection of a man, in his late twenties, appeared in front of Villen. He looked at Villen and sighed in relief.

"Oh Master Villen it is good to see you. We feared the worst."

"Thank you Henry, it is good to see you are in good health as well." Villen smiled at the man. "However I have to say, that your fears would have come true if it were not for some Overwatch agents."

"Overwatch, my Lord?" The man looked at Villen in surprise. "I didn't receive any reports they resumed operations."

"That's not surprising, as they are currently operating in the shadows. And I believe they started recently. Use our resources to make sure they stay hidden for as long as possible."

"Understood, my Lord. Have you aligned yourself with them?"

Villen let out a small chuckle. The man knew him too well. "Yes, I have decided they are worthy allies. And they are in desperate need of our help. I want you to make preparations to start funneling funding into their operations. Give them as much money as you can without drawing attention. Let me know when you will have the details."

The man in the hologram bowed. "Of course, my Lord, I will make the arrangements right away. Is there anything else you require?"

Villen looked around the room again. "Actually now that you mention it, yes. The reformed Overwatch is currently operating from the watchpoint at the Rock of Gibraltar. The facilities here are… not quite up to current standards."

Henry nodded. "Hmm, Gibraltar makes it quite a good strategic location, but it isn't the most remote. There could be trouble in covering their activity. However I don't believe many other watchpoints will be in any better condition."

"Exactly. That's why I want you to find a way to set up some sort of cover operation here. Perhaps a lab of some kind, with sensitive research. I want you to get the crew that renovated the Nest, and bring them here to upgrade the outpost. I want state of the art technology, no expenses spared. Also make arrangements to get some trusted security forces here, it will help with the cover."

"Understood, I will begin my work immediately. The cover would probably give us an even better excuse to funnel money into the operation. I will work as fast as I can, My Lord. I expect the renovation crew to be ready within a few days. I will contact you then, Sire, and also hopefully with the budget details. Meanwhile I will set your agents to cover Overwatch's tracks."

"Thank you Henry. I'm sure you will do a great job as always. And Henry-" Villen paused and smiled.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Your father would be proud of you. You are honoring his legacy well. Thank you for being there for me."

Henry looked at Villen and then lowered his head quickly.

"T- thank you, my Lord." His voice trembled slightly. "It means a lot to me to hear you say that. I will not disappoint you."

"I know you won't Henry." Villen smiled and paused for a few seconds. "Now, I believe we both have work to do. Until next time Henry."

"Goodbye, my Lord." The man bowed again and disappeared. Villen grabbed the projector and put it back in the same pocket.

The knight leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his coffee. Despite still being hungry and tired he felt much better than he had in a very long time.

* * *

A giggle followed closely by a deep booming laughter snapped Villen out of his thoughts. He looked down the hallway the sound was coming from. A very tall, bulky man came around the corner, his hands set on his stomach as he laughed. Then in a flash of blue light a much smaller woman appeared next to him. Her luminescent orange leggings were very clearly visible. She was also wearing a brown pilot jacket with some sort of harness around it. The middle of the harness was glowing blue. Her spiky hair seemed to be defying gravity as she jumped around her big companion giggling. Then she turned her head towards Villen, and before he could react, after a few flashes of blue, she was standing right next to him.

"Oooh, and who would you be, love?" She said, the heavy cockney accent just oozing from her speech. She seemed very excited about something.

Villen stood up slowly, brown eyes of the short woman next to him following him closely.

"Well, I- uh…" Before he could finish, another voice interrupted him. This one was deep, booming and very German. It belonged to the tall man, who was just entering the mess hall.

"Ah!" He exclaimed. "I see the dragon has awoken!" Another booming laughter echoed around the room. "It is good to see you got better. Mercy and I pulled you out of one hell of a scrap. The battle was glorious!" He approached Villen and extended his hand. "Wilhelm Reinhardt, a pleasure."

The woman was observing Villen curiously, waiting for his reaction. The knight, still a bit shocked from their sudden appearance finally managed to collect his thoughts. He firmly shook Reinhardt's hand.

"Villen Borch, Sire, and I assure you the pleasure is all mine. When Lady Angela mentioned you earlier I must have been too tired to realize she meant the Reinhardt. You are my hero, I am honored I could finally meet you. And, of course, many thanks to you, Sire, for saving my life."

The German slapped him on the back.

"Ahh don't mention it, like I said the battle was glorious. However we must find an opportunity to fight together, my friend, for I would very much like to see you in action." Reinhardt laughed again, and Villen joined him. Then a sharp giggle made him look at the woman next to him. She was almost lying on the table next to them twisting around as she giggled.

"Sorry, loves." She could barely get the words out in between her giggle fits. "But you two- ... are so adorable together. And you Villen- … Sire, Lady Angela- … And I thought I was the time traveller." Villen smiled at the giggling woman. It was true that to most people he probably sounded at least a bit ridiculous. He bowed slightly towards the woman.

"I'm glad I amused you, milady. Now might I be so bold and ask your name?" He deepened the bow.

The woman stopped giggling for a second and looked at him, as if she couldn't believe her ears. Then another giggle fit started. Both Reinhardt and Villen started laughing as well. After about a minute, the woman seemed to have calmed down slightly. She jumped down from the table quickly and extended her hand.

"Sorry about that, love. The name is Lena Oxton, better known as Tracer."

Villen shook her hand. "I thought so, you certainly live up to your reputation, milady. A pleasure to meet you."

Tracer giggled again as Villen called her "milady".

"Say, friend, how about we share a beer and talk some?" Reinhardt asked. "Never hurts to get some comradery going, ja?" He laughed.

"Of course, I would be honored. And there is reason too, as we are allies now, good sir." Villen responded, laughing as well.

"Excellent! I will go fetch some of my finest beer I have been saving for a special occasion!" Reinhardt said as he started stomping off. "Lena, you want some too?"

"Sure, love. You know I would never skip such an occasion." She giggled again. "I'll go get some snacks then!" And in a blink of an eye, and a flash of blue she was gone. And Villen was left alone again, although he knew it was not for long.

" _Well, Sir, seems like you have just met your childhood hero."_

"I have met my hero, period, Vea. And now I get to share a drink with him and swap stories! This day just keeps getting better and better…"


	8. A time shared

**Author's note**

 **Here is another chapter. Had some trouble with this one, but I managed to work through it.  
This chapter is a bit longer as I will probably not have much time to write in the coming few days. I will try to make time, but you never know.  
Thank you to DerpHurp for your review. I'm glad you are enjoying the story!  
Also thank you to dunnamjosh5 for your review. Like you can probably tell I have a certain fascination with knights as well.  
And of course a thank you to KeepingThemAtBay for your second (woop!) review. Like I mentioned before Villen is inspired by a lot of different works of fiction that I just subconsciously write into him. Also answers to all your questions will come in one form or another in future chapters, so don't worry!  
I'm glad you are enjoying the story, it makes me feel really good, and honestly I didn't think that many people would like it.  
But you are not here for my ramblings so I'm out.  
Yet again let me know all the spelling/grammatical mistakes I made.  
Enjoy!**

* * *

Tracer came back first, appearing in a few blinks of blue light and dropping a few packs of different flavoured chips and some salty sticks and the table.

"Sorry, love, I know it's not the best but it's all I could get on such a short notice." She spoke, her voice filled with energy and excitement.

"I'm sure it will be quite alright, milady." Villen smiled at Lena. And before he could do much else she disappeared in another flash and a few seconds later appeared back again, holding a couple of bowls. They quickly "set" one of the tables and sat down around it.

"So, you said you were going to work with us, love?"

"Indeed. I have offered an alliance to Winston and he graciously accepted."

"An alliance? So you are not joining?"

"Not at the moment. My first duty is to my house, milady. And I thought it could be beneficial for Overwatch to have someone they can count on on the outside."

"I see. Well I, for one, you are on our side, love. We need all the help we can get right now." She giggled. "And it looks like Reinhardt likes you too!"

"I'm glad. I have to confess he was always a role model for me. Meeting him made me a really happy man."

"Speaking of, here comes the big guy!" Tracer pointed over at Reinhardt who could be seen approaching from the corridor. He was carrying three bottles of beer in one of his hands and three metal ornate tankards in the other, which also had a bottle of beer inside each of them.

"Ah I see the snacks have already arrived! I should have expected that. Well now it's time for the main course." He laughed as he raised the hand with the tankards. He quickly came up to the table and set the contents of both his hands on it. Everyone grabbed one of the tankards and poured a bottle inside.

"So, you said you are now our comrade, Villen?" Reinhardt asked, his voice booming as usual.

"Indeed, like I mentioned to Lady Oxton just before you returned, I have allied myself with Overwatch."

"Excellent! Then let's drink to a long lasting alliance!" He said raising his tankard.

"And to its success!" Lena exclaimed.

"May it bring us glory and honor!" Villen said and they all smashed their tankards together.

After taking a gulp of beer they each slammed their tankard on the table.

"This has to be one of the finest beers I have ever drunk." Villen said, a big smile forming on his face.

"Of course! Like I said, I was saving it for a special occasion! Only the best from this German!" They all laughed at that.

"So, big guy, how about you share a story! Remember, you promised me one." Said Tracer, nudging Reinhardt lightly with her elbow.

"Indeed, I would also like to hear what stories the great Reinhardt has to tell." Villen smiled and winked at Tracer. She, of course, giggled.

"Ah, my friends, very well!" He paused for a second as he was thinking. "Hmm, I don't think I told you this one Lena, so it will do! And it has something for Villen's tastes in it as well!" He drank a bit more beer and began his tale.

"So, Brigitte and I stopped just outside this small town as we needed supplies. But when we got into the town, it seemed abandoned. A little girl we met asked me to save them from Dragons!" Villen's eyes opened a bit wider and he leaned forward a bit to listen more carefully. "Turns out, that's what the local raiders decided to call themselves. I stepped in to stop them, only to find myself surrounded. A bunch of ruffians like them would have been nothing to me, even if I wasn't in my armor, so I stood my ground. They were however truly honorless and threatened the poor innocents around me if I were to resist them. I would not endanger them, so I stood down. Their leader, the coward, started beating me down as he knew I would not strike him back." He raised the tankard to his lips, and Villen made use of the silence to speak.

"These thugs did not deserve to call themselves Dragons. Their dishonorable ways just stained the name! And it seems they had nothing of the dragons' legendary wisdom if they threatened the Reinhardt himself!" He raised his tankard, and the three of them smashed their tankards together again.

"Yeah, they must have been pretty stupid, love! I hope you showed them what's what!" Tracer chimed in.

Reinhardt's booming laughter echoed around the room.

"Indeed! Although now I wish you had been there, Villen to show them what it means to be a dragon!" Both Tracer and Villen joined Reinhardt in laughing.

"Okay, love, now it's time for you to continue the story. I want to know what happened!" Lena exclaimed and Villen nodded in agreement.

"Alright, my friends! Now where was I?" He thought for a second and then continued. "Ah, right! So after the leader of the gang thought he was done with me, he took the rest of his men and they left the town. And we made our way back to the truck where Brigitte repaired my armor and I bandaged the wounds inflicted upon me by that bandit. It wasn't long before I was standing right in front of their hideout calling them out to face me in honorable combat! And they came, but as a group charging at me on hoverbikes. Gunfire bounced of my shield as they approached. When they got close I lept into the air and brought my hammer down upon them with righteous fury! Many of them were thrown aside by the power of the blow. But I didn't stop there! I swung the hammer again, throwing more of them off their steeds as they fired relentlessly upon me. When I stopped my hammer and turned to see who was still left, a flame came around me, as if a dragon really started spewing fire at me. I charged through the flames and snuffed the flame at the source when I slammed it into a nearby wall. And before me lay the leader of the gang. I have emerged victorious! I have warned them not to bother the people anymore or they would face me again! The battle was truly glorious! And the best part was, I got to celebrate by eating some delicious currywurst!" They all burst out laughing at the German's remark.

"Wow, big guy, it was very courageous of you to take that gang on all by your lonesome!"

"Indeed." Villen agreed. "And very honorable of you to stand up for the people. I propose a toast for the great Reinhardt! May his valor and courage never waver!" The smashing of tankards could be heard again as they finished their beers. Which were almost immediately replaced by another bottle being poured into each tankard.

"I always enjoy your stories, love!" She giggled. "And what about you Villen? You got some interesting stories to share?"

"Ja, friend. How about we hear a story from you now?" Reinhardt said as he lightly punched Villen on the shoulder. The knight responded with laughter.

"Well I do have stories I could tell. And I suppose it is only fair that I do."

Villen thought for a moment, drank some beer and then cleared his throat and started to tell his tale.

* * *

 **Author's note: Reinhardt told the story that is shown in the official Overwatch comic Reinhardt - Dragon Slayer. I thought that it fit quite nicely in here.**

* * *

 _Villen stood on the roof and looked down through a skylight on the arms deal going on in the warehouse underneath him. Clad in his armor and a shield in his hand he ignited his blade with energy. He sliced a circle around him and fell down inside with it, slowing his descent using the jump jets in his boots. The piece of the roof hit the ground with a loud crack making the people in the warehouse look towards it in shock. As they noticed Villen they all raised their guns and pointed it at him._

" _Who the hell are you?!" Shouted one of the men._

 _Villen pointed his sword at the man. "I am the Hussar, knight-errant on a quest for justice. I urge you to turn away from the road of evil you walk. Should you comply and turn to the light, you shall be shown mercy. Should you deny and continue on your path, you shall face the full force of my wrath!" He spoke loudly and calmly, his voice firm even though he was surrounded by enemies._

 _Some of the men looked at each other in confusion and soon after laughter could be heard echoing around the warehouse._

" _Is this guy for real?"_

" _He looks like he came out of a fairy tale."_

" _Hey, Prince Charming, you here to rescue some princess."_

 _Villen stood still, unfazed by their comments. "I give you one last chance to regain your honor on the path of good. Otherwise I will be forced to strike you down and end your wicked ways!"_

" _Alright boys, this was a fun distraction but now it is turning into an annoyance." Said one of the men, their apparent leader. "Get rid of him so we can get back to business."_

 _The men immediately opened fire and watched in horror as their bullets bounced harmlessly off the knight's armor. Villen did not waste any time and charged ahead swiftly, cutting down his first foe with ease. He moved between his enemies with speed, easily slicing through them one by one. He was using his shield to great effect both for protection and also offensively. Utilising his jump jets for charges and dart launchers in his pauldron he managed to top his enemies from retreating. Only those who dropped their weapons and either run or surrendered were spared. After a few minutes the battle was over._

 _Villen looked around the battlefield. He gathered the men that were left and bound them. He notified the local authorities that an arms deal was taking place. Then he made sure that the vans loaded with weapons could not leave easily by cutting right through each van's engine block. He left the warehouse soon after and waited nearby until he saw the police approaching. Satisfied with his performance, Villen turned away and left the area._

* * *

Villen recounted the story as best he could, trying to fit as many details as he could while still making it interesting. He did not have much experience telling stories about what he did. He paused a few times to drink some beer or clear his throat. After the story finished he took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair and waited for the reaction of his audience.

"Whoa, love. A whole bunch of arms dealers?" Tracer seemed to be somewhat in awe. "I have to say you've got guts."

"Agreed!" Reinhardt exclaimed. "That must have been glorious! I wish I could have seen the looks on their faces when they found out they underestimated you, my friend!"

"Yeah, I bet they wished they could take back all that mocking!" Tracer said nodding vigorously in agreement. She raised her tankard. "To Villen! Our new dragon friend!"

"To Villen!" Roared Reinhardt raising his tankard as well.

"And to new friendships!" And another clang of the tankards could be heard echoing through the mess hall. After they drank what was the last of the beer Villen spoke up. "I am glad you enjoyed the story. I have to say that it has been quite some time since I last shared stories with someone. And I also must say that it is an honor to call you my friends."

Tracer giggled. "Oh just don't get all emotional on us Villy." She said with a big grin on her face. "But I agree you do seem like quite a guy to be friends with." They all laughed for a moment and then Reinhardt spoke.

"It is an honor to call you friend as well Villen!" He looked into his tankard which was empty. "Unfortunately we seem to have run out of beer to properly celebrate it! We have to get together again when I get some more!"

"If it is going to be even half as fine as this one was, I will definitely make the time for it." Villen concured.

"Count me in too guys! And prepare more stories for me." Tracer giggled and both of the men laughed.

"Well…" Villen said standing up, "As much as I would like to stay in such marvelous company, I have actually not done any work in a few too many days."

Reinhardt laughed and said. "Indeed, my friend. Although I suppose recovering from an almost fatal wound would make a good excuse!" Both Tracer and Villen laughed with the German.

"True enough. However I was planning to add some upgrades to my suit for some time now, and thanks to you, my friends, I feel greatly revitalized and I want to direct all this energy to doing something useful." Villen smiled widely. "So let me know what I can clean up-"

"Oh don't you worry about cleanup, love, you're a guest!" Lena said blinking out of her chair to stand next to him. "And the best place to do any upgrading would be the workshop. There are not that many materials there but maybe you'll find something useful." She blinked to the other side of him and pointed down a corridor. "It's that way and two floors down, you can't miss it, it's right next to the big hangar!"

"Thank you, Lady Oxt-"

"Love, it's Lena. We're friends, no need for fancy titles Villy!" Tracer giggled.

"Very well, Lady Len-"

"Just Lena!" Tracer giggled again and blinked a bit closer to Villen. And then she said a bit quieter. "Save the lady thing for Ang." She winked at him and blinked back to her previous place giggling vigorously at the slight blush that appeared on Villen's face. Reinhardt laughed as well as he watched this whole situation unfold.

Villen quickly recovered and fought off the blush. "Thank you, Lena. I will be sure to remember that. I hope I see you later, friends!"

"Bye, Villy!"

"Until next time, Villen!"

Villen turned on his heel and walked off in the direction Tracer pointed him to.

* * *

Villen entered a spacious room and turned on the lights. The workshop was clattered with all sorts of tools and pieces of scrap varying in sizes. None of the materials looked particularly high grade nor did they look new.

"Looks like it's mostly salvage. It is sad to see former world's greatest living having to resort to-" he gestured towards a big pile of scrap, " _this._ "

" _Well, Sir, if your conversation with Henry is anything to go by, it won't be for long."_

Villen chuckled. "Yes, I suppose you are correct."

" _Speaking of which, Sir, shouldn't you warn the Overwatch that a building crew might just show up one they on their doorstep? Especially since nobody is supposed to know they are operating again."_

"Don't worry Vea, I will inform Commander Winston about my plans. However I want to wait until I have more details and until I'm sure they can go through. I wouldn't want to raise false hopes for them." As he was conversing with Vea, Villen started cleaning out some space on and around one of the workbenches. Moving pieces of scrap around and examining them trying to determine their worth in the process.

" _Understood, Sir. I am sure Henry will manage to deliver on everything you asked."_

"Of course he will." Villen smiled. "But even he might have some trouble with this one. It's not easy keeping such an operation away from the public eye."

" _I am-"_ Vea paused for a second making Villen raise his eyebrow in surprise, _"curious how he will go about it."_

"Curious, are you? You don't have any theories?"

" _I have many, however that is not my area of expertise."_

Villen chuckled again. "I see. Now-" He stood next to the workbench, now with enough room for him to work. "How about installing some of those upgrades I have been working on?"

" _I am sure it will be beneficial to your effectiveness in combat, Sir."_

Villen shook his head slightly, a smile on his face. "You are something else, Vea." He said quietly.

" _Should I activate the armor, Sir?"_

"Hold on." Villen reached into one of his inside pockets and pulled out a small device, the size of a credit card, only slightly thicker, and placed in on the table in front of him. "Proceed".

The armor quickly formed around him, and a few seconds later the transformation was finished.

" _Sir, you do realise that you could have taken out the module after the transformation?"_

Villen chuckled once again at his companion's remark. "Of course I do, Vea, I designed this thing. But it is much more convenient to just get it out of the coat. Plate armor doesn't have pockets, does it?"

" _No, Sir, I suppose it doesn't."_

Villen picked up the device off the table. "I really wish I installed this sooner. Then again, maybe I wouldn't meet Overwatch if I didn't."

" _What do you mean, Sir? And would you mind finally telling me what it is? You never tell me what you are working on."_

"Oh, Vea, is the curiosity just eating you from the inside?" Villen said in a playful tone. "Don't you like surprises?"

" _No, Sir, I in fact do not. And it doesn't help that I have to watch the entire process of making every upgrade."_

Villen laughed. "Very well then Vea. I can tell you now that it's finished. It's an early warning system. It will hopefully let me detect enemy projectiles much earlier and from any side. And what I meant earlier was, with it I could have probably stopped those harpoons Talon used on me. Or at least I could have put up more of a fight."

" _An interesting idea, Sir. But won't the amount of additional input overwhelm your senses?"_

"That is a possibility, and on its own a very likely one. However I have you. Your processes will help filter out useless data. And with some control added to the suit, hopefully improve my reflexes."

" _This upgrade has a very high potential. I will do my best to aid you in its use, Sir."_

"Thank you Vea, I knew I could count on you."

Villen reached behind him and placed the device on his neck. He held it down in place and after a few seconds it got absorbed into the armor. Villen felt the armor shifting around him and then came a sudden rush of information. His brain couldn't process that amount. Villen had to hold himself up by placing his hands on the workbench. His head hurt intensively and he had to use all of his willpower to not scream out in pain. After a few seconds the information assault started to pass, and a few seconds later the headache was gone.

" _I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't expect just how much information there would be to filter."_

"It's- alright, Vea." He took a deep breath. "Well, that was quite something. Let's just hope it works."

" _I believe it should. I have run some simulations and set up additional filters. However some practical tests should be done. And this time, Sir, I advise doing them in a controlled environment, not in a heat of battle."_

Villen laughed yet again. "You are never going to let me forget about that, are you?"

" _No, Sir."_

* * *

After about two hours of looking around the workshop and gathering various parts Villen looked at the workbench in front of him. It was now littered with pieces of scrap of various shapes, sizes and functions. Villen looked them over one more time, and then placed his hands on the table and lowered his head. He sighed loudly.

"It's no use. I simply cannot build anything that would help me test the early warning module. Not using these parts."

" _You Sir? Unable to build a miracle machine from just a few pieces of scrap? I am shocked."_

Villen smiled. "Very funny, Vea. Watch out I don't program that humour out of you."

" _You would never do that, Sir. You love my personality."_

Villen shook his head in resignation, the smile persisting on his face.

"That I do, Vea. And you should be glad about that."

" _Of course, Sir. You have my eternal gratitude."_

Villen laughed this time. "Like I said. Something else." Villen glanced over the parts in front of him once again. "Seems the testing will have to wait until Henry-" Villen stopped talking as he heard the door to the workshop open. He turned around. He was still in his armor, only without the helmet. Villen noticed the angelic figure of Mercy enter the room and a smile automatically appeared on his face. She was approaching quite quickly and as she got closer Villen noticed a frown on her face. The smile disappearing he took a few steps forward.

"Lady Angela, is something wrong?"

Mercy stopped in front of him and looked up at him. "You shouldn't be drinking beer in your state Villen, you have barely recovered." She said firmly but Villen did not hear anger in her voice. "I released you from the medbay under the assumption that you know how to take care of yourself."

Villen bowed slightly. "My apologies, Lady Angela but you didn't need to worry. While it has some pleasant side effects, alcohol is just another fuel for the nanites in my body."

"Still with the recent brain injury I don't think it's wise."

"I assure you, Lady Angela, I am fine. I apologize for making you worried. If you wish I can return to the medbay for you to run any tests you require."

Angela looked him in the eyes. They locked gazes for a moment and then Mercy sighed and the frown on her face disappeared.

"I suppose I can let you off the hook this time Villen. But don't get used to it. And come in tomorrow for check-up." A smile started forming on her face.

"Of course, Lady Angela." Villen bowed again. "And thank you for your leniency."

Mercy chuckled lightly. She looked around the room and noticed the workbench with a lot of parts gathered on it. She walked up to it.

"Were you working on something?"

"I was trying to, milady. However the parts available to me are not enough."

"It doesn't surprise me, we are having trouble staying afloat, so to speak." She sighed. "What did you want to build?"

"A device that would help me test an upgrade to my armor."

"An upgrade?" She looked over at him curiously. "You have managed to upgrade your armor here?"

"Well, I have constructed the module prior to my arrival here. It was just my first chance to install it."

"I see. And what does it do? Or is it a secret?" She smiled at him.

Villen returned the smile. "Ordinarily it would be, but seeing as you have made an exception with me today, Lady Angela, it only seems fair I do as well." He bowed his head slightly and widened his smile a bit. Mercy chuckled lightly. "It's an early warning system, that is supposed to warn me about incoming projectiles and allow me to counter them accordingly. Hopefully it will prevent another…" he paused for a second grimacing slightly at the memory, "harpoon incident, let's call it."

"That seems like it would require a lot of additional input to your brain, which could easily overwhelm you." A frown appeared once again on the doctor's face, and worry could be heard in her voice.

"Indeed, Lady Angela. However I have Vea to help me with that. She will filter any excess information." He looked at the woman in front of him and an idea came to his head. "Lady Angela, I would hate to impose, but maybe you could help me with some preliminary tests?"

Mercy looked at him in surprise. "Me?" Villen nodded. "I suppose I could, but I have to ask first. What would these tests consist of?"

Villen smiled. "Well, Lady Angela, I would ask you to throw a variety of objects at me from different angles."

Mercy's eyes widened for a second as she looked at the man in front of her. "I- I'm not sure I like that idea. What if you get hurt?"

"You do not need to worry about that, Lady Angela. I will be fully armored so the probability of me getting hurt will be miniscule." A reassuring smile appeared on Villen's face. Mercy thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Very well Villen. I suppose this could be interesting."

* * *

After a few minutes they were ready to begin the tests. Villen stood on one side of the room, fully armored, his back turned to Mercy, who was standing on the opposite side of the room, a quite big pile of differently sized pieces of scrap next to her.

"Are you ready Villen?" She asked him, still unsure it was such a good idea.

"I am, Lady Angela. Remember not to warn me. I can't know when the attack is coming."

"Very well, then." Mercy grabbed one of the pieces of scrap. She moved around a bit so that Villen didn't know exactly where the throw was coming from. She waited a couple of seconds and then threw the piece of scrap and hit Villen right in the back of the head.

"Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry Villen."

The knight laughed lightly. "It's alright, Lady Angela. All part of the test. Vea, what went wrong?"

" _I might have filtered out just a bit too much information, Sir. I have adjusted the settings."_

"Alright, Lady Angela. Let's try again."

After a couple of seconds another piece of scrap was flying through the air. This time however Villen was able to instinctively feel it coming and avoid it.

"It works!" Angela exclaimed, her excitement bringing a smile to Villen's face.

"It would appear so, Lady Angela. But let's try a few more times." Villen activated his shield now as well, to have additional protection.

* * *

After a few more failures and consequent adjustments the system was working. At least against objects thrown by a person.

"Thank you, Lady Angela, for your help."

"No problem Villen, I have to say it was quite… fun." She smiled at Villen and he returned the smile.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, milady. It is however getting a bit late. Would you mind if I walked you back?"

Mercy blushed slightly, although she was unsure why. She quickly managed to fight of the blush. "Not at all Villen. I would be quite happy to have company."

* * *

 **Author's note: I wasn't sure if I should do Villen's story in flashback format or if I should have had him tell it. I decided on the flashback to possibly give you guys a bit more details - especially the dialog which I wasn't sure how to make sound natural if Villen were to tell the story.**


	9. A brink of conflict

**Author's note:**

 **Finally managed to sit down and finish this chapter. Once again I am terribly sorry about the delay but I simply did not have time to write this past week.  
Big thank you once again to KeepingThemAtBay for yet another (you're spoiling me) review. I am really glad you are enjoying my story. Also, concerning the spelling, I looked it up and apparently both forms are correct but organization is the prefered one. So I will change it to that for the sake of continuity (and hopefully I will remember to spell it that way in the future).  
Also a massive thank you to anyone that followed and/or favorited the story! I really appreciate it but somehow completely forgot to thank you before.  
Okay, that's enough rambling.  
Yet again let me know all the spelling/grammatical mistakes I made.  
Thank you again for your patience and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Villen gestured for the door, letting Mercy leave the room first. He moved to turn off the lights in the workshop. Angela was observing his movements with curiosity. She was still astounded by the fact that the knight could move so nimbly and quietly, even while wearing full plate armor. Villen closed the door and turned to Mercy. He gestured down the corridor.

"Shall we?"

Mercy simply nodded and turned. Villen was walking beside her and she was looking up at him with curiosity. Villen glanced over at her and smiled.

"I see you have questions for me, Lady Angela." He said calmly.

Mercy blushed slightly and turned her gaze forward. Was she really being that obvious?

"Well.. yes. You are quite the mysterious man, Villen." She smiled as she looked back up at him.

Villen turned his head towards her. "Secrecy is imperative to the way I operate, Lady Angela. And I believe you already know more about me than anyone outside of my house."

Angela frowned and turned her head back towards the direction they were going in. She was incredibly curious about the man next to her, but she didn't want to possibly offend him by asking too many questions he might not be willing to answer. Still it was very hard for her to resist.

Villen chuckled seeing the woman struggle with her thoughts. This made Angela look back up at him in confusion.

"You can ask me your questions, Lady Angela. I will answer them to the best of my ability. However I hope you understand, that I cannot tell you everything." Mercy's eyes widened in surprise as he talked.

"Well…" Mercy took a second to collect her thoughts. "I suppose asking what it is you do exactly is out of the question?" She asked, a sly smile forming on her face.

Villen laughed. "Well, Lady Angela, that depends on the level of detail you expect from the answer. I can tell you that I help people whenever I can. And that I am doing my best to help keep the peace in the world. The question is quite broad, Lady Angela. To find out more you need to be more specific." He smiled at her. Even though Villen had this unexplained urge to share more, he knew it was still a bit early for that. He has already said much, putting his faith in the woman walking beside him. But, he thought, who else does one put faith in, if not an angel.

Mercy returned the smile. "Why don't we start small then? I'm still quite curious how you got out of the restraints in the medbay. You managed to cut through them without 76 noticing."

"I did my best to keep him focused on talking. And let's say I have a few tricks up my sleeve that you are not aware of." Villen turned his robotic arm so that his palm was facing up. A small compartment opened in his forearm and he pulled out the same blade he used to cut himself free and showed it to Mercy. She looked at the blade in shock.

"The scans didn't detect anything…" She shook her head.

"That just means the shielding is working as intended." Villen placed the blade back in its place and the compartment closed.

"Still, this knife shouldn't be able to cut through that restraint." Mercy examined the blade as Villen was putting it back into his arm. "There's no way it's that sharp."

"You are of course correct, Lady Angela. Or you would be if it was an ordinary blade." He smiled at her again and reached for the cylinder by his belt. As it formed into his sword he spoke again. "It would be easier to demonstrate on a bigger blade…"

Angela could hear as the sword Villen was holding suddenly started humming with power. She also noticed a faint blue glow around the weapon.

"My blades are enhanced, Lady Angela. And that gives them the power to cut through almost anything. One of my best inventions." He mused, looking at his sword with pride. After a few seconds he quickly deactivated it and placed the cylinder back onto his belt.

"That's incredible. This technology could be incredibly helpful for people." Mercy started thinking about all the possibilities. Rescue teams cutting with ease through rubble and scrap. Cheaper production costs for sturdier materials… A voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Indeed. But I fear the potential for weaponization is far too great, if I were to release this technology to the public."

The smile disappeared from Mercy's face as she considered his words. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

Villen noticed the frown on Angela's face. "I assure you, Lady Angela, that it has not stopped me from trying. I already have some-" Villen stopped himself. Would that be saying too much, he wondered.

Unfortunately for Villen, Mercy noticed his hesitation, and her curiosity was piqued. "You have some what, Villen?" She smiled as she looked up at him.

The knight looked at her and thought for a few moments. "I have some emergency response units equipped with that technology. And it has already been used to great effect."

The woman looked at him in surprise. "Emergency response units? You have that many people working for you?"

Villen hesitated once again. "Y- yes, Lady Angela. And many more."

The look of surprise didn't leave Angela. "How is this all kept secret?"

"Through decades of experience and a lot of hard work from many people." Villen smiled. "I'm afraid I cannot… go into details."

"Of course, I understand. I am not sure asking questions was such a good idea…"

"Why is that, Lady Angela?" Villen had concern in his voice, hoping he did not upset the woman with his evasive answers.

Mercy chuckled lightly seeing Villen's reaction. She smiled at him. "Well, because I only feel myself getting more curious."

The knight let out a small sigh of relief. "My apologies, Lady Angela. I'm afraid I'm not ready to reveal everything to you just yet."

"Just yet?" Mercy asked with a sly smile, "Does that mean you eventually will?"

"I, uh-" Villen stumbled through his thoughts, blushing slightly. He wasn't sure why he chose the words he did. He shouldn't even be thinking about revealing his secrets, and yet here he was not only sharing some of them with the woman in front of him but even thinking of telling her more. There was something in Angela that made him trust her incredibly, even though they pretty much only just met. He managed to collect himself. A warm smile appeared on his face. "Nothing is impossible, Lady Angela."

"I hope that time will come soon, Villen." She looked around and stopped abruptly. They were in front of her door already. "Oh, these are my quarters." She pointed at the door.

Villen nodded. "Well then, I suppose that means the end of our walk."

Angela thought for a moment, trying to remember what state she left her quarters in. "Actually, Villen, would you mind joining me for a cup of tea? I still have more questions." She gave the knight a quick wink and started unlocking the door.

Villen laughed lightly. "I would be honored, Lady Angela."

"Great! Come on in then." She said as she entered her room and turned of the light.

Villen followed Mercy through the door and closed it behind him. He looked around. Her quarters consisted of a couple of rooms, making it seem more like a small apartment than quarters in a military facility. The door lead into, what Villen would say was, a living room. It wasn't especially big. Against the back wall between two doors stood two armchairs with a small table between them. On the right wall of the room stood two bookshelves filled almost entirely with a variety of books. On the left wall was a two door cupboard with an electric kettle on top of it. Angela quickly gestured towards the armchairs.

"Please have a sit." She walked over to the cupboard and took out two porcelain teacups paired with saucers. She grabbed the kettle and started heading towards one of the left door on the back wall, when she noticed Villen was still standing. "Is something wrong?"

Villen was watching closely as Angela was moving around the room. When she asked him the question he snapped out of it. "Not at all, Lady Angela." He made a step towards her. "May I help?"

Mercy shook her head and smiled. "You can help by taking a seat, Villen. Making tea is not that difficult."

Villen nodded and smiled as well. He moved next to one of the armchairs. Then his attention got captured by the bookshelves. He moved towards them and started reading through the titles.

Mercy came out of the bathroom with the filled kettle in her hand. She placed it down and flipped it on. She turned around to see Villen studying her books. She smiled and went back to preparing the tea.

After a few minutes a clink of porcelain being placed on a table snapped Villen out of his thoughts. He turned around and saw Angela standing next to one of the armchairs and moving the teapots to the sides of the table. She looked up at him and smiled. "I apologise, Lady Angela, I should have asked if I can look through your collection." Villen lowered his head.

Mercy shook her head in disbelief. "Don't worry about it Villen. I hope something caught your eye." She moved back to the cupboard and brought back a sugar bowl and a couple of teaspoons as well as another saucer. She quickly placed them on the table and gestured to the other armchair.

Villen walked up and they both took a seat. "Indeed. There are a few books on there that I didn't read. Although I find it more interesting to find all these books here in paper form."

"Ah, yes. I just really enjoy to sometimes sit down and read a book the old fashioned way. Although I have to say, I only brought a couple of those books with me here. Most of them I only had digital copies of, until I was quite happy to find these in the Watchpoint's storehouse."

"A very fortunate find indeed." Villen smiled and nodded slightly in agreement. Then as he reached for the cup he noticed he was still in his armor. He stood up and looked at Mercy, embarrassed. "I apologise, Lady Angela, it seems I got caught up in conversation and completely forgot about my armor. Vea, disable combat protocols, please." As his armor started disappearing the embarrassment only grew as Villen realised he was still only wearing his hospital trousers and nothing but the bandages on his upper body. He got even more embarrassed as he realised that's how he was dressed when he talked to Tracer and Reinhardt.

Mercy couldn't help but look in awe as Villen's armor transformed. There was still something almost magical in the process for her. And then a blush appeared on her face as she saw the knight's naked toned torso appear from underneath it, a black coat hanging loosely on its sides only making it stand out more.

"I, uh-" Villen stumbled over his words in embarrassment. "I apologise, I completely forgot I haven't had a chance to change." The blush on Villen's face just grew redder as he spoke. "If you excuse me, I will return in a moment." He moved towards the door.

Mercy could barely tear her eyes away from Villen. When she realised she was staring she blushed even more. She stood up as well. "You really don't have to-"

"Yes, yes I do, Lady Angela. I will be back momentarily." He opened the door and left the room. He quickly jogged towards the medbay, where he remembered seeing his clothes.

* * *

Villen found his clothes folded on one of the cupboards. He quickly changed into his black trousers. But when he reached for his white shirt he noticed it still had two bullet holes in it. The blood, however, was gone. He let out a deep sigh. He held up the shirt.

"Well that is not good. Vea, can you do something about this?"

" _I can try, Sir."_

"Good. Activate the utility glove."

After he said that a black glove started forming around his right hand. It had various wires and really small tubes running alongside the fingers. Villen laid the shirt down in front of him. He placed his hand on it. A silver substance filled two of the tubes on his fingers. Two slight waves moving outwards from these fingers appeared on the shirt. When they passed through the holes they started to close. After a couple of seconds the shirt was mended. It also looked as if it has just been ironed.

"Thank you, Vea." Villen quickly took off his coat, the glove on his hand disappearing as he did, and started to put on his shirt. The coat laying in front of him suddenly shifted quickly into a black, two button suit jacket. Villen raised his eyebrow in confusion.

" _I took the liberty to temporarily modify the resting state of the armor, Sir. This form seems more appropriate for your date."_

"It is not a date, Vea. We are just having tea."

" _Are you sure, Sir. You did just use your technology rather wastefully, which is unlike you."_

"It was for the sake of decency, Vea. It is not a date."

" _If you say so, Sir."_

Villen shook his head in disbelief. But there was no time to argue with Vea, so he quickly put on the suit jacket and fastened the top button. He then left the medbay in a hurry to get back.

* * *

Without even ten minutes going by Villen found himself back at Angela's doorstep. Villen took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come on in." Angela's voice sounded from the other side of the door.

Villen quickly entered the room and closed the door behind him. He looked back at Mercy and bowed. "I apologise once again, Lady Angela. I hope I didn't take too long."

Mercy looked at he man as he walked in. He was dressed in the same clothes they found him in but his shirt was mended. And he had a suit jacket on instead of his long coat. She found him looking very handsome, and blushed at the thought. She quickly collected herself. "Not at all Villen." She smiled. "Please have a seat, the tea is getting cold." Villen nodded and quickly made his way to his seat. After he sat down he reached for the cup and took a sip of tea. Mercy decided to break the silence. "I like your jacket. Very nice cut." She smiled.

"Thank you, Lady Angela." Villen blushed slightly. "It was… Vea's idea."

Angela thought for a moment. "This Vea, she's an AI right?"

"Indeed. And a very sophisticated one at that. I left most of her personality subroutines ubound…"

" _A great choice, Sir."_

"Which I slightly regret doing at some points."

" _Don't lie. Just admit that you love my personality."_

"But it did make her very unique." Villen struggled to continue speaking through Vea's interruptions. He was glad Angela couldn't hear her.

"Unique?" Mercy asked curiously.

"Yes, Lady Angela. She is somewhat attuned to me, which helps us work together more efficiently. After all those years I think she can predict my movements before I even make them."

" _Of course I can, you are very predictable, Sir."_

"And her personality is very complex, which gives her an interesting perspective on many things."

" _Things like your date, right Sir?"_

"Not to mention the fact that she took over many operations of my armor." Villen paused for a moment. "She is a good friend, and I feel I would be lost without her." He smiled.

" _Oooh, thank you, Sir."_

Mercy returned a smile. "She does sound like interesting company. She also is very protective of you. And of your armor. I heard Winston and Torbjörn had a lot of trouble even approaching it."

"The preservation of the armor is her highest priority. But she has the power to destroy it if it were to fall into the wrong hands."

"I see. It must be very important to you."

"It has been in my family for generations. Well… Maybe not in this exact form." Villen smiled. "But it is a thing of great power. I don't want it in the hands of people who would use it for their wicked ways."

Mercy nodded. "That's understandable. I wouldn't want my Valkyrie suit to fall into the wrong hands either." She smiled back at the knight.

Villen nodded. "That would be-" He got interrupted by Vea.

" _Sir, I've got Henry on the line, he says it's urgent."_

Villen stood up immediately. He bowed slightly towards Angela. "My apologies, Lady Angela, but I must take a call. Vea, the earpiece."

Mercy looked as the knight moved towards the door. She noticed a cable spiraling upwards from his jacket's collar up to his ear and quickly forming an earpiece as it got there. As the knight opened the door he started speaking a language that Mercy couldn't quite recognise.

"What happened Henry?" Worry filled Villen's voice.

"My Lord, the Omnics have broken through the Russian lines in Siberia. They are moving deeper into the country, towards the populated areas."

"How is that possible? They shouldn't have that capability. The Russian Defense Forces should have been able to hold them off."

"That's not all, my Lord, the omnics have broken through the most heavily fortified section. As if to show their force."

"That's even worse. It means they have outside help…" He thought for a second. A look of determination appeared on his face as he spoke, his voice stern and calm. "And now, so will the Russians. Send in three Banners. And mobilize three more as a reserve. Send in the first squadron as air support. Their orders are to push the omnics back. There is no way we can shut down the Siberian omnium, but we can limit the casualties. Retake the fortifications and reinforce them. Also send in a squad of the honor guard to find out who and how is giving the omnics help. Keep me appraised as the situation changes."

"I will get to it immediately, my Lord."

Villen closed the call and sighed. Things were not going well in the world. There might come a time when he will have to reveal his house. But maybe the return of Overwatch will be enough. He walked back into Mercy's quarters, the earpiece slowly retracting back into his jacket.

"My apologies, Lady Angela. It was urgent." He bowed and moved back to his seat.

"Is everything alright?" Mercy looked concerned.

"Not exactly, but I hope it will be dealt with soon." Villen gave Angela a reassuring smile.

The woman nodded slowly. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"I wouldn't want to trouble you while there is still hope it won't be that serious. If my efforts fail, I am sure you will hear about it." Villen's voice was calm.

A silence fell on the room as Angela considered his words. The situation must have been serious, but the knight's reassurance and calm put Angela's mind at ease. She had a feeling that she could trust his judgment in the matter. Even though she wasn't exactly sure what the matter was or why she was so quick to trust him. She decided to shift her thoughts to another topic she was curious about.

"What was that language you spoke? I didn't quite recognise it." A smile returned to her face and curiosity to her voice.

Villen chuckled and smiled widely. "I'm afraid, Lady Angela, that it would be revealing a bit too much."

"I see." She said, her smile turning slightly more sly. "You don't want to reveal where your base of operations is."

"How very perceptive of you, Lady Angela. Although I would say that home is a more appropriate description."

"Can you tell me something about it?" Angela didn't hide the curiosity at the mention of Villen's home.

"Well… the grounds around it are beautiful. Just filled with color. I could spend hours just wandering around them. I should probably go back there soon. It has been too long." He took a final sip of tea. He got lost in thought, remembering his time spent in and around his house.

Mercy watched the knight closely. The mysterious man was incredibly intriguing to her. She desperately wanted to know more, her curiosity gnawing at her brain. But she understood that for someone so shrouded in secrets, sharing them must not be easy. She felt honored that he chose to confide at least some of them in her.

After some time passed Villen finally managed to snap out of his thoughts. He looked over at Mercy who quickly moved her gaze away from him and blushed slightly. "The tea was lovely, Lady Angela. Thank you for your time, but it is getting rather late and I wouldn't want to take up anymore of your time." He smiled as he got up from his seat.

Mercy fought off the blush and got up as well. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Villen. I hope we can do this again?"

Villen bowed. "I would be honored. Perhaps next time it will be me asking all the questions."

Mercy blushed again. "I suppose it is only fair." She smiled warmly. They walked to the door.

Villen opened the door, stepped through and turned around. "Goodnight, Lady Angela." He bowed.

"Goodnight, Villen." She smiled and closed the door as the knight walked off down the corridor.

Villen stopped after a few steps realising he didn't really have a place to sleep. After a second of consideration he came to the conclusion that one of the beds in the medbay would do for tonight. He made his way there.

* * *

"What are our orders Captain?" A soldier clad in a thick white coat asked the big, bulky woman standing beside him. She was dressed similarly.

"We are to hold the omnics here as long as possible. Deploy all of our remaining energy barriers. Set the heavy weapons behind them." She said sternly as she scanned her surroundings. Snow covered the landscape completely. The hill they were standing on gave them good visibility, but also made them easily visible to the enemy. "Good, let them come." she thought. She needed to draw the attention of the marching omnic army if they were to even slow them down. "We will hold this hill long enough for our forces to fully mobilize to combat this threat." She said to the soldier. "Go, see we are well set up."

After the soldier walked off she heard her communicator click. She answered the call.

"Captain Zaryanova, what is your status?" A man's voice she immediately recognised spoke to her.

"General Vikashev. We are digging in right now. We will give you all the time we can."

"I am counting on it Captain. We are moving in to protect the nearby villages. After we make sure they are secure we will send reinforcements."

"Understood, General."

* * *

A few hours later their defences were set up as best as they could manage. Now they waited for the omnics to get in range. Zarya was holding her massive particle cannon. She was the only senior officer left from the assault the omnics made on their fortifications. She managed to gather about two hundred soldiers for this last ditch effort at defence. They had some heavy weapons, both anti-infantry and anti-vehicle but Zarya knew that this was a lost cause. However she didn't let her soldiers see this doubt in her. She walked around confidently, trying to raise spirits as much as she could.

Soon after first shots rang out as first of the omnic bastion units got in range of their weapons. The Russians were fighting fiercely as they fought off wave after wave of enemies. But after a few hours ammunition started running out, and an appearance of a massive omnic walker in the distance did not bode well for them.

"They just keep coming!" One of the soldiers exclaimed.

"You kill one and two other take its place!" Another agreed with his comrade.

"Fight on brothers!" Zarya shouted, her voice booming across the battlefield. "Every one you kill, every second you hold gives our families a better chance!" Her particle cannon was shredding omnic after omnic. She stood like a beacon of hope and soldier rallied around her, fighting even more fiercely.

Suddenly a series of explosions rocked the battlefield. They shredded the omnics in front of them. Then a sound of engines roared above them as a squadron of jets zoomed towards the omnics. Their missiles and cannons destroying them in bulk, much of the fire directed at the walker which fell, destroyed soon after. Three of the jets changed into hover mode and levitated above the Russians' position, pouring cannon fire down on the advancing robots.

Zarya looked up in surprise. She didn't recognise the markings on the jets, which meant they were not Russian Defence Force. But she didn't have much time to wonder about that as more roaring of the engines could be heard. She turned around and noticed twelve massive dropships approaching their position. They were soon upon them, landing around the hill, adding their own firepower to the fight, quickly dismantling the remaining assaulting forces. Soon after soldiers started pouring out of the dropships and securing the area. After a few minutes the hill was secure and the rest of the omnic army shattered and retreated.

Zarya couldn't believe her eyes. They were saved by this unknown force. She tried to remember if she saw their marking anywhere before but couldn't place them. A silver shield surrounded by flame, with a black, feathered wing in the middle.

One of the unknown soldiers, wearing a long black coat, clearly standing out from his soldiers wearing winter camo and from the snow around him, approached Zarya. He looked her up and down.

"Ah, you must be Captain Zaryanova. Looks like we've arrived just in time." His voice was deep, but not too rough, and what struck Zarya the most is how calm he was.

She folded her arms on her chest. "Da, you have. But who are you exactly and what are you doing here?"

The man laughed. "Of course, where are my manners. I bring regards from the Hussar. We are here to push the omnics back and help the Russian Defence Forces retake their fortifications."

The woman looked at him in surprise. "The Hussar? And why help now?"

"The Hussar found the sudden jump in strength of the omnics troubling. He sent us here knowing it would take time for your armies to mobilise. He doesn't usually interfere."

"I see. Well thanks for the help, but I have to report this to my superiors. What is your next course of action? You realise the army you defeated was just a taste."

The soldier nodded at her. "Of course. We will set up a temporary command center and then begin a coordinated offensive to push back the omnics. Now if you excuse me, I have duties." After he finished talking he turned on his heel and walked off, shouting orders at his men.

Zarya shook her head in disbelief as she grabbed her communicator. She picked a number nad made a call.

"Captain Zaryanova? What is it?"

"General Vikashev, I have an… interesting report for you."


	10. The swords clash

**Author's note:**

 **I apologize once again for the longer times between the chapters. I'm afraid that is how it might go from now on, I have much less time to devote to writing. Although I will do my best to put out at least one chapter a week and possibly more if I find the time.  
Many thanks to KeepingThemAtBay yet again for yet another review (you really are spoiling me ;]) I would also like to see many things from this story drawn but I cannot draw to save my life, so you know.  
Yet again let me know all the spelling/grammatical mistakes I made.  
Thank you yet again for your patience and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

When Villen woke up it was still early but he was well rested and eager to face another day in the Overwatch compound. He decided that today, he would spend much time exploring the facility and hopefully properly meeting the remaining agents. He stood up from the bed and stretched his muscles a bit.

" _Sir, Henry informed me that he is ready to report."_

"Excellent. Activate the earpiece and contact him." Villen straightened his clothes as the earpiece snaked its way up to his ear. Soon after the connection was established.

"Good morning, Henry. I hear you have a report for me." Villen's voice was calm and warm.

"Good morning, my Lord. Indeed, regarding the situation in Siberia."

"What's the situation there?"

"Colonel Kalita set up a temporary command center and is now pushing the omnics back to the previous defensive line, as ordered. He joined forces with Captain Aleksandra Zaryanova after he saved her and her company from an omnic attack. The Russian Defence Forces are cooperating with us, although probably more out of necessity than good will. They were not terribly happy that we managed to breach their airspace without them even knowing about it."

Villen smirked slightly. "I'm sure they weren't."

"However they have allowed our fighters to use their airbases for refueling and rearming, for now."

"Excellent. Pass my regards to the Colonel for a job well done. They will continue the push until they retake the fortifications. Then they are to reinforce them, and hold them until the RDF send more of their people. Then I want him as a mobile force, ready for quick deployment should the enemy attempt to break through elsewhere."

"Understood, my Lord, I will pass on your orders."

"What is the status of the honor guard?"

"They have managed to sneak through enemy lines and are approaching the omnium."

"Good, we need to find out how the omnics managed to suddenly field such an army. After the squad gathers the information, they are to sabotage the omnium as much as they can without much risk to them. I want them to get out alive."

"Yes, my Lord. There is one other thing."

"Yes?"

"Colonel Kalita sees a lot of potential in this Captain Zaryanova. He claims she could be a worthy recruit."

"Interesting." Villen paused to think for a few moments. "In that case, I want him to discreetly find out if she would even be willing to be recruited. I know just the organisation that needs worthy recruits right now."

"I understand, my Lord. I shall keep you apprised of the situation."

"Thank you, Henry."

With the call ended the earpiece retracted back into the collar of his suit jacket. Villen looked down on it and sighed.

"Vea, can we go back to the coat?"

" _No date tonight, Sir?"_

Villen shook his head in disbelief. "It was not a date, Vea. Now, please…"

" _Of course, Sir."_

The jacket quickly reformed back into his long trench coat. Villen adjusted it slightly and moved towards the exit from the medbay.

* * *

After walking around the compound for a while Villen came across a door labeled as "Training grounds". Intrigued, he walked through it.

The room he entered was quite spacious. Villen noticed two doorways on either side of the room. The room he was in was clearly meant for physical training. Various training equipment filled the room ranging from treadmills, through weights to punching bags. Most of the equipment was in a surprisingly good state, considering the condition of the rest of the facility.

After examining the room Villen moved through the door on the right. This was a shooting range. "Keeping their people in top fighting condition must have been important to Overwatch. Good." Villen thought as he looked around the room. The range seemed to be pretty high-tech, with computer controlled targets that could be set up at various ranges and with varying degrees of mobility.

As he didn't really use firearms, Villen left the shooting range quickly and moved towards the door opposite. The room he entered was basically divided to two parts. One was designed to practice climbing with ropes hanging from the ceiling and climbing walls of raising difficulty on the sides. The other part of the room was a sparring arena.

In the middle of the arena stood the cyborg man Villen met earlier. He was practicing his swings, but as soon as he noticed the knight enter the room, he sheathed his sword, turned towards him and studied his moves carefully.

Villen moved across the room towards him. As he got close, he extended his hand forward. "I believe we were not introduced properly. My name is Villen Borch. Or the Hussar if you prefer."

The man looked down at his hand briefly. He shook it firmly and bowed.

"Genji…" He paused for a second. "Shimada. It is an honor to meet the new ally of Overwatch."

Villen returned the bow. "And an honor to meet you as well." He straightened himself. "The dragon that had the wisdom and strength to stand up against the dishonor his family brought."

Genji looked at him. Villen could not read his emotions, as his face was hidden behind a plate of armor. "You know of me?" His voice was calm.

"I have not recognised you at first, as I have not seen you in person before. But after you mentioned your family name, it confirmed my suspicions. I have heard of your exploits against your family, Genji Shimada, and I am grateful for what you did."

The cyborg nodded. After a few moments of thought he spoke. "I however have not heard of you, Hussar. Even though you seem like a powerful man."

A small smile appeared on Villen's face. "I take great care that as few people know about me as it is possible. It gives my enemies little chance to stop me."

"A wise approach." Genji nodded again.

Villen looked the cyborg up and down. "I am quite interested about your capabilities, Sir Genji. If the stories I heard are true, you are quite the formidable opponent." The knight smiled. "I've noticed you have been practicing as I entered. Perhaps we could spar?"

The cyborg studied Villen for a second. "There are no sparring weapons here, Villen."

"Vea, combat protocols." The knight said quickly. As the armor was forming around him he continued. "We don't need to worry about that. I am not afraid of a little cut…" He reached for the cylinder on his belt and it formed again into the beautifully ornate sabre. "And my weapon in its rested state should be harmless to your armor." He took a few steps back and assumed a combat stance, now standing opposite the cyborg in full armor. "Not to mention that, we both must have sparred before. So, shall we?"

Genjis visor has been watching him throughout the process of transformation, and it seemed to glow a bit brighter. He studied the knight's weapon as it formed. Villen looked as the cyborg reached for his blade, the green and black katana quickly sliding out of its sheath, took a few steps back and also assumed his combat stance.

"That is some quite impressive technology, Villen. I look forward to seeing it in action."

"Likewise, Sir Genji."

They started moving in a circle, staying opposite each other, waiting for a good opportunity to strike. They lunged forward almost at the same time, their blades clashing with a loud clang. Their cuts and thrusts quickly changed into parries to block the opponent's strike. After about a minute they both jumped back and started circling again.

"Impressive, Sir Genji."

"Likewise. Not many people can block that many of my strikes."

They lunged again, clashing in the middle of the arena. Sparks were flying off their blades as they hit. Every time it seemed one of them was getting the upper hand, the expert parry and counter from the other returned the situation into a stalemate.

Another minute of vicious strikes passed and they jumped back again. Yet again they started circling the arena, waiting for an opportune moment, trying to feint the opponent.

They repeated this routine a few more times, each time the breaks between the fighting growing slightly longer. A few more times and their strikes became slightly slower, with the brakes growing even longer.

Over half an hour passed when the men jumped away from their latest fight. They were both now panting heavily, moving much slower as they stared down their opponent.

"I believe we are evenly matched." Villen said in between gasps for air.

"It would appear so." Genji replied, not faring much better.

Villen relaxed his stance a bit. "Shall we call it a draw, then?" He smiled.

"Agreed."

Genji sheathed his katana, and Villen's sabre reverted to the cylinder, which he quickly put back on his belt. They met in the middle again but this time they shook hands and exchanged a bow.

"That was a great session, Sir Genji." He smiled widely. "We should do it again sometime."

"I agree. It was good to face a worthy opponent again. I would be glad to repeat that. But for now, I shall retire to my quarters. I must admit that the fight left me quite spent."

"Indeed, the pace was quite something. I will probably linger here and gather some strength and then return to exploring the facility."

Genji nodded and moved towards the door. Villen sat down on one of the benches next to a wall. He spent about a minute there, when a familiar voice cut through the silence.

" _Sir, Henry informs me that Colonel Kalita is ready for a report. And apparently he expressed a wish to introduce Captain Zaryanova to you."_

"Interesting. He really came to hold her in high esteem. And in such a short time…"

" _And apparently, she keeps bugging him with questions."_

Villen chuckled. "And probably ones he cannot answer. Give me everything we have on her." He got up from the bench as information started filling his HUD. He studied it quickly. "Vea, the emitter, please. Establish that dampening field just in case. Signal Felix that I am ready for his report and the introduction when you are done. And get Henry on that line too." A small compartment opened in his armor and he pulled out the device he used to communicate with Henry earlier. He set it down on the bench in front of him, pressed on the top revealing the holo-emitter and took a step back. He continued reading up on the Russian captain as he waited for the call.

* * *

Zarya was standing on top of one of the hills they stopped their advance behind. She was holding a set of binoculars and scanning the horizon for hostiles. The two lieutenants left alive were standing nearby, ready to receive orders. One of them spoke up.

"Captain, can we trust these people? They are not telling us anything."

The woman lowered her binoculars and turned to face him. "I do not like it either, lieutenant, but they are helping us drive the omnics back. They are giving their lives for our land. I will not reject their help."

The other man lieutenant chimed in. "And I am sure the Intelligence is working overtime to find out more about them. We will know soon enough."

Zarya laughed lightly. "I would not be so sure. They seem like people who know how to operate in secret. They clearly don't want people to know about them."

"How perceptive of you, Captain." A third voice came from behind her. As she turned she noticed the man in charge of the mysterious fighting force, clad in the same black coat, now stained with oil, blood and snow from the fighting, approach her. "I have however some news that might make you a bit happier." A smirk appeared on the soldier's face. "The Hussar agreed to speak with you." Zarya was still impressed how fluent the man's Russian was. Perhaps he was from Russia, she thought. "I am going to give my report to him now. Will you join me?"

"I will." She stated. Maybe this Hussar will give her the information, command was pressuring her to get.

"Excellent. This way please." The man turned and walked back down the hill, the way he came. Zarya turned her head towards her lieutenants and nodded. She followed the soldier down into one of the landed dropships. He approached a panel on the wall, pressed a few buttons and backed away, standing next to her. Suddenly a hologram of a figure clad in ornate plate armor appeared in front of them. To her surprise the soldier next to her bowed quickly.

"My Lord."

"Ah, welcome Colonel." The knight nodded at him and then turned towards her. His Russian was also incredibly fluent. "And you must be Captain Zaryanova. I am the Hussar, a pleasure to meet you."

Zarya nodded. "It would be more of a pleasure if I knew who exactly I was dealing with." Her voice was stern, she was bothered by this secrecy. She couldn't even give command the face of Hussar as it was covered by a helmet.

The man in the hologram chuckled. "I am sure it would be, Captain. And perhaps I will share a thing or two. But first things first. Your report Colonel."

"Sir, we are set up about five kilometers from the destination point. The omnics have retreated all the way to the fortifications. Scouts report they have dug in and set up close-range artillery for support. We are preparing for the final assault but it might be difficult to crack their line."

The Hussar brought his hand up to his chin as he thought for a few moments. "I see. Has the honor guard reported in yet?"

Zarya listened in carefully. All the intel she could get could be valuable. And this honor guard seemed important.

"Negative, Sir."

"What about the Russian reinforcements?"

"They are on their way. However they are taking it slow, trying to ensure no stragglers get through, especially now that we have the omnics on the run."

"I see. I will send three Basilisk to support you. They should be enough to provide cover for you and minimize casualties especially with the air support you already have. I trust you will use them to great effect."

"Of course, Sir. We will strike as soon as they arrive."

"Speaking of casualties. How many?" The man's voice went a bit quieter as he said that.

"Thankfully, Sir, we have somehow managed without fatalities. However we've had quite a few injured, some of them rather seriously. I have sent them back with two dropships."

"Excellent work, Colonel. You will get replacements with the tanks." The knight seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief. It was hard for Zarya to read him, because of the armor.

"Thank you, Sir." The Colonel bowed.

"Now that I have received the report…" He turned towards Zarya. "I am sure you have questions you wish to ask me, Captain Zaryanova."

"Who are you exactly?" She asked without hesitation, folding her arms across her chest.

The man laughed. "I am the Hussar, Captain."

Zarya rolled her eyes. "Riight. And what does that mean?"

"That means that I am not your enemy."

"You are not our ally exactly either."

The man thought for a second. "No, I suppose I am not. Still, that does not mean I cannot help you."

"Speaking of, why are you even helping us. We have been left alone to deal with this omnium up until now."

"Indeed. But since I suspect the omnics are getting outside help, I thought you could use some yourself. And it would appear that I was not exactly wrong."

Zarya let her hands fall down beside her body. "Listen, I didn't mean to sound ungrateful…" She stopped as the knight raised his hand.

"Do not worry about it, Captain. I understand your hesitation. And I imagine command is pressuring you to get answers as well." She nodded slowly to confirm. "I am sorry that I cannot say much more, but that is how I operate. You can tell General Vikashev that."

Zarya's eyes went wider. "How did you…"

"I know many things, Captain. Just like how I knew to send support here."

"So… what do you expect in return for your help?"

"Not much. I only want my soldiers to be able to resupply at your bases while they are helping you. And I don't want my involvement public. Which I know it is not yet. And I am sure it is in our both best interests for it to stay that way. I do not think your government is willing to show weakness."

Zarya lowered her head a bit. "Probably not."

"Well then. I cannot wait to hear about the bravery of Captain Zaryanova and her company after they managed to hold the omnic advance back long enough for reinforcements to arrive."

She looked back up at him and studied him carefully. She looked over at the colonel next to her and he gave her a reassuring nod and a smile.

"Your soldiers deserve recognition."

"Indeed. And they shall have it. But leave that part to me."

She nodded slowly. "If you wish. I will pass what you told me on to command."

The knight nodded as well. "Thank you, Captain. I feel a promotion coming your way. Unless of course you were to join a different organisation."

Zarya raised her brow. "Like yours?"

"As much as I would like that, I do not think you would agree. No, an offer will be made in the future, and that is when you will see me again. I hope you will decide to join when the time comes."

Zarya shook her head and sighed. "Do you have to even speak in riddles? Don't you have enough mystery?"

The knight laughed heartily. "I apologize, Captain. I like your spirit, I look forward to our next meeting. But for now…" He turned back to the soldier beside her. "Colonel, you have your orders. Keep me apprised."

"Of course, Sir."

He turned back towards her. "And goodbye to you, Captain. Until next time."

Right after he said that he disappeared. She looked at the colonel, who was looking at her.

"Well, you've got some answers at least." He smirked and left the dropship leaving her alone.

"Sure…" She sighed as she made her way to make her report.

* * *

As soon as the two holograms disappeared, another took their place.

"Ah, Henry. I assume you know what to do?"

"Of course, my Lord. The reinforcements are already on their way to the frontlines." He smiled.

Villen shook his head. "This whole thing would fall apart without you."

"Uhm… thank you, my Lord. Although I think you are giving me too much credit…" He said, a bit taken aback by the compliment.

"Nonsense. You are just too modest." Villen smiled. "Now. I assume you have something for me Henry, otherwise you wouldn't have stayed on the line."

"Yes, my Lord. I wanted to inform you that the preparations for the alliance with Overwatch are mostly completed. All I need now is the signal to proceed with the action."

"Already?" Villen asked, the surprise clearly audible in his voice. "You continue to astound me, Henry."

The man bowed slightly. "Thank you, my Lord. Do you wish to hear the details?"

Villen thought for a few moments. "Actually, no. I will let you know when I find Commander Winston. You will give the details then."

"As you wish, my Lord. I will await your signal." He bowed and disappeared.

Villen reached for the projector. "Vea, deactivate combat protocols, please. And you can take down that dampening field."

After his armor reverted back to the trench coat, he stashed the projector in one of his inside pockets and made his way towards the exit. Just as he rounded the corner he bumped into someone. He reacted quickly, grabbing them before they fell from the force of impact. He looked down and saw Mercy's blue eyes looking back at him, wide in surprise. After making sure she would not fall over, he quickly released her from his grasp and took as step back.

"My apologies, Lady Angela. I didn't expect anyone else here." A warm smile appeared on his face.

Mercy returned the smile. "Oh, it's quite alright, Villen. I have actually come to find you."

"Is something the matter?" The smile disappeared from his face, turning into a look of concern.

"Well, yes and no. Winston called a meeting and he wants you to attend, as you are now an ally of Overwatch."

The smile returned the Villen's face. "That is excellent, Lady Angela. I was actually on my way to speak to the commander. A meeting with other members present will be even better."

They started walking towards the exit from the training grounds.

Mercy looked up at him, and he noticed the curiosity in her eyes. "What are you planning?"

Villen smiled slightly wider. "Well, Lady Angela, I suppose you have to wait and see."


	11. Alliance affirmed

**Author's Note:**

 **Another chapter is here! And things happen in it! Can you imagine?  
A big thank you, yet again, to KeepingThemAtBay for another review. I really appreciate the input. Although it is only hinted at, and not stated anywhere, Villen is actually forty, or just over that (haven't really decided yet and it gives me some flexibility), so he's not that much older than Genji. I'm glad you like the name of the tanks, it took me some time to choose a good name, and finally decided that Basilisks should be draconic enough;]  
Yet again let me know all the spelling/grammatical mistakes I made.  
I hope you will enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Villen and Mercy walked into the spacious conference room. A large, circular table stood in the middle, surrounded by chairs. It looked out of place, not really fitting the aesthetic of the room. "Winston must have replaced the table with a round one. Treating his companions more like equals…" Villen thought. Even though he hoped otherwise, only a few seats were taken. Opposite the door, was sitting Winston, a large screen behind him, used for presentations. A few chairs to his right. Reinhardt. Next to him, a man Villen didn't meet before. He was short, but bulky, sporting a massive blonde beard. His left arm was a massive robotic, red claw that he rested on the table. Next to him. Genji. To Winston's left was Tracer, the seat next to her empty. On the next chair, Villen noticed the same man that tried to interrogate him earlier. Everyone looked over at them as they entered.

"Ah you're here, good. Come on, take a seat." Winston spoke up. Villen made his way towards the free chair next to Reinhardt, while Mercy took the one next to Tracer.

As they approached the table, Winston spoke again. "As I am not sure who of you met our new ally, let me introduce him." He stood up. "This is Villen Borch and he agreed to help us. And these are Tracer, you know Mercy, Soldier: 76, Reinhardt, Torbjörn and Genji." He said as he pointed with his arm at everyone he was introducing. Tracer gave him a slight giggle and a small wave. Torbjörn saluted briefly with his mechanical arm. Reinhardt welcomed him with a wide smile and a nod. Genji simply nodded. The soldier sitting now almost opposite of him was studying him intently, his face covered by his red visor and mask. He gave a slow nod to acknowledge him. "And of course there is also Athena, out resident AI."

Villen bowed slightly. "An honor to meet those of you I haven't before." He pulled back his chair and took his place at the table.

"Now that introductions are done…" Winston began speaking again. "I would like to get to the reason I called for this meeting. I believe we narrowly avoided the full blown second omnic crisis." A map of Russia appeared behind him. Villen looked around the room, everyone was listening to Winston carefully. "A large omnic force emerged from the Siberian omnium and broke through the Russian defences. Oddly enough, this time the left all the small villages nearby alone, and marched with full force towards the heavier populated areas. Thankfully they were stopped and at this point almost entirely pushed back by the Russian Defence Forces." The screen behind him was adjusting, showing more detail as he spoke. Villen smiled and looked at Angela, sitting almost opposite from him. She was deep in thought. She glanced at the knight and then back at Winston.

"When was this?" She said to the gorilla.

"I don't have exact information, but they broke through the Russian lines… Around 11p.m. yesterday I believe."

Mercy nodded and went into thought again. Winston continued. He was recounting what details he had of the attack, which Villen was happy to hear, did not include an army appearing almost out of nowhere. He smiled again and looked up, seeing Mercy's eyes on him, wide. Villen was impressed how quickly she connected the call he received yesterday with this information. She was looking at him, awaiting confirmation. He nodded slightly. Her eyes opened wider and Villen noticed she was about to say something. Just as Winston finished speaking he took that chance.

"I suppose we should thank the brave Russian soldiers for averting this potential disaster." The knight spoke calmly. "But if the danger is no longer there, why the meeting?" Villen glanced back at Mercy who nodded slightly back at him, understanding what he was trying to do.

Winston nodded. "Right, the reason I called you all here is…" He looked over the people in front of him. "When I received information about this, it was already too late. This time we got lucky, and the crisis got handled. But it might not be like that soon. Overwatch's network is in shambles. We need to get our eyes back, so that we can operate again." He sighed heavily. "What's the point of this recall if we can't do anything."

"Oh, cheer up love!" Tracer's enthusiastic voice rang in the room. "We have already done some missions. So what if we can't respond immediately, to everything. I think you have already done exceptionally well organising all this with what we have." She blinked next to him and patted him on the back. Everyone else voiced their agreement.

"It will take time to bring Overwatch back, Winston." Mercy spoke. "But we are with you. And more will come, too."

"Indeed!" The booming voice of Reinhardt sounded, and Villen felt his heavy arm on his shoulders. "We already have Villen, who wasn't even in Overwatch before!" Villen smiled and nodded in agreement.

"If we can trust him." A gruff voice tempered their enthusiasm. "We barely know anything about him."

"Just like we don't know much about you 76, yet here you are." Mercy responded. "I believe we can trust him, just like I felt we could trust you. We need all the help we can get."

Villen stood up. "I understand your reservations, but I hope to alleviate them at this meeting. If I may, Commander?" He looked over at Winston. The gorrilla nodded and took a seat next to Tracer. "When I allied myself with Overwatch, I told commander Winston that I am not sure what kind of benefits it will bring you, other than my own help."

" _Don't worry, Sir, I'm calling Henry."_

Villen smiled as he heard Vea's voice. "I have, however, made some arrangements to find out." He pulled out the projector from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of him. It immediately flickered to life, a hologram of a man appearing next to Villen. The people present in the room looked at each other and then back at Villen. "This is Henry, my most trusted advisor and friend."

The man in the hologram bowed deeply. "It is an honor to stand before such an exalted assembly." A small giggle escaped Tracer's mouth after she heard that. Villen smiled at the woman.

"He will now present to you, what my house can offer Overwatch." He nodded at Henry.

"As you wish my Lord." He looked at the people in front of him. "I suppose I should start with the funding. We can offer you five hundred million dollars, monthly. It-"

He got interrupted by Winston. He had a look of surprise on his face, as did most others in the room. "Five hundred million a month?" He asked.

"Indeed." Henry responded. "I know it's not much, especially to a once internationally founded organisation, but these are untraceable funds. And you won't need to spend them on most things because of the cover operation."

Winston shook his head in disbelief. "I think I will say that for everyone, that it is much more than we could even hope for at this stage. And what cover operation?"

This time it was the man in the hologram who looked surprised. He turned to Villen.

"Have you not told them anything, my Lord?"

Villen smiled as he felt the gaze of everyone in the room on him. "I did not want to create false hope in the incredibly unlikely event you failed, Henry." The knight winked at him. "And you know I love to surprise people."

Henry just shook his head and turned back to the rest. "Well, Commander Winston, because Watchpoint: Gibraltar is placed relatively close to inhabited areas and it is supposed to be abandoned, your operations here would not go unnoticed for long." Another hologram appeared, this time on top of the projector, displaying the map of the area surrounding the Watchpoint. "But, as it would be a shame to abandon a strategic location such as this, I have been given a task to set up a cover operation here, that would allow you to operate unhindered." The hologram zoomed in and was now showing the Watchpoint itself. "Therefore I have made preparations to turn the Watchpoint and the Rock of Gibraltar itself into a military research facility, as well as a naval base for operations on the Mediterranean. We are also planning to restore the Watchpoint's function monitoring the climate. This will allow us to heavily strengthen the security, and the operations of the base will conceal your movements." The hologram highlighted the changes to the terrain outside of the Watchpoint. Installation of warehouses, docks etc.

"Won't that many people here just limit our movements?" 76 asked. Even he seemed impressed, although it was barely audible in his voice.

"Ordinarily it would, but the personnel was hand picked by me. They are people who were sympathetic towards Overwatch in the past, some former personnel as well. And most importantly these are trusted friends of ours. They know how to keep a secret." He looked around the room looking for more questions but he only found wide eyes staring back at him, as people present tried to process all of this information. This made Henry smile. "This base will of course have its own budget, that should take care of most of your needs, such as food, energy, fuel and ammunition. For the things it doesn't cover, you can use the funds I mentioned earlier. The installation of this facility will of course mean a renovation of the outpost and bringing it up to the newest technological standards." As he talked the hologram zoomed into the Watchpoint itself, highlighting specific rooms and showing the changes, listing the new equipment. "This will include state of the art medical and manufacturing facilities, as well as upgrades to internal security for example. If you are afraid about the secrecy, we have a trusted crew that renovated our… base some time ago. They should be finished with the watchpoint itself within about two months. Probably less." Henry paused to give his audience a moment to process.

After about a minute passed Winston has finally managed to collect himself. "I'm not sure what to say. This is really hard to believe…"

Henry smiled in response and a moment later perked up as he remembered something. "In case you are afraid about the recent Talon attack on the Watchpoint, and the fact they know you are here, Commander, we will spread information to proper channels saying we found evidence of you being here, but you were gone when it was decided to repurpose the Watchpoint."

"I- I didn't even think of that…" Winston scratched his neck with embarrassment.

"How is all of this possible?" Mercy's voice cut through the silence in the room. "Villen, how?"

Villen felt the gaze of everyone on him again. "It took decades to reach this level of influence. I have more power than most would think, but a lot of it is dedicated to keeping my operations a secret." He smiled. "Still, sometimes I find other means to spend that influence. I find reforming the Overwatch a worth cause, so I am willing to put my house behind it. This will mean we will be more involved than ever before, but I hope the fact that you are Overwatch will cover up most of our help. Who is to say how much influence you retained."

"Speaking of reforming Overwatch." Henry added. "I have already started certain movements that should make your return a more… welcome one. It will take a lot of time for it to take effect, but if we are lucky, the UN will ask for you to come back."

"All we need now is the green light from you." Villen turned to Winston.

Winston looked over at everyone, slowly getting nods from each of them as they processed the situation. "Well… I'm not sure what to say… I don't think a simple thank you will suffice…" He paused.

Villen noticed Winston was struggling for words. After waiting a couple more moments and not hearing any protests he decided to take action. "Henry, you heard him. Begin the procedures." Villen smiled.

The man in the hologram bowed. "As you wish, my Lord." The projector turned off and Villen quickly put it back into his pocket.

The silence in the room started to drag on uncomfortably long, but then a loud booming laughter cut right through it. Reinhardt rose from his chair and walked up to Villen giving him a strong bear hug, even lifting him into the air slightly. As he pulled away he grabbed Villen's soldier, the German's face filled with a giant smile. "You are unbelievable! All of this will be a great help!"

A flash of blue light made Tracer appear next to him as well, hugging Villen from the side. "He's right, love. I don't know how you managed it but thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you." She said excitedly. Reinhardt let go of one of his shoulders to give Tracer some more room as she jumped up and down, still hugging Villen tightly.

Villen wasn't really sure what to do. He wasn't used to such displays of gratitude, usually gone long before people even got a chance to thank him. "Well I, uh.. I am glad I could help." He was struggling to stay still as Tracer bounced up and down next to him her chronal accelerator digging into his side.

"How can we even begin to repay you?" Winston asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Villen looked over at the gorrilla. He noticed before how much this whole operation meant to the ape. And now, Villen gave him the means to not only continue, but also greatly improve it. The knight could see that Winston was trying to hold back tears of happiness. "There really is no need." He smiled. "All I wish is that you continue to help people and inspire people." The two people touching him parted as the gorrilla made his way to him, giving him another hug. Villen just stood awkwardly, deciding to pat the scientist lightly on the back. Tracer giggled and piled on, hugging them both. Seeing that Reinhardt laughed again and also embraced his friends. Villen was stuck in the middle really unsure what to do.

"Alright, we are all very grateful, but let's not smother the poor man." Mercy's short laughter and happy voice was music to his ears. He gave her a thankful look and smiled. The three people slowly stepped away from him.

"R-right." Winston said trying to sound calm.

"I think we could all use some time to process this, hmm?" Mercy stated smiling and looking at her friends.

The gorilla nodded but turned to Villen. "Are you sure there is not anything we can do?"

"Actually commander," the expression on the knight's face suddenly turned grim and his voice became serious, "now that you mention it, there is one thing."

Everyone was surprised at this sudden change, but Winston's face filled with determination. "Anything."

As suddenly as it changed, Villen's face returned to its previous happy state, and his voice gained a hint of playfulness. "Could I get a room in here? I don't want to keep the bed in the medbay occupied." A wide smile appeared on his face.

After a moment of confusion the group started laughing. Not everyone however was still present. Villen noticed 76 walking out of the room, obviously deciding that the meeting was concluded. The knight made a mental note of that and joined the group in laughter.

"Of course, Villen. I'm sorry I didn't think about it earlier. There are plenty of free rooms you could stay in." Winston said, a smile keeping to his face.

"I can show them to you." Mercy offered, quickly. It gained her a wide eyed look from Tracer, who glanced between her and the knight quickly. But no one seemed to notice it.

"That would be lovely, Lady Angela, thank you."

* * *

After everyone left the conference room, Angela and Villen split from the group moving towards the living areas of the base. If either of them turned around the would have seen a cheeky grin on Tracer's face. But they didn't.

As soon as they were out of earshot from the rest of the group Mercy stopped and looked up at Villen. "That urgent call yesterday. It was about the situation in Russia, wasn't it."

Villen turned towards her and smiled. "Indeed. You really are perceptive, Lady Angela. Not many people would have connected the two that quickly."

She averted her gaze for a moment, fighting off a blush that threatened to appear because of the unexpected compliment. She quickly looked back at the knight. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Like I said, I saw no point in worrying you while there was still a chance the situation would be dealt with. And as you see, it has been."

She considered him for a moment. "But not by the, as you called them, brave Russian soldiers alone, right?" She stared at him intently trying to gauge his reaction.

Villen made a quick snort and smiled widely, studying the woman in front of him. "Like I said, very perceptive." After not seeing much change in her expression, as she clearly still awaited the answer, Villen continued. "The Russians may have received some… unexpected reinforcements."

Mercy nodded slowly, considering his words. She started walking forward again and Villen followed next to her. After a few moments of thinking she spoke up. "Wouldn't openly supporting their soldiers but you at a very high risk of being revealed to the world?"

Villen smiled again. He was getting more and more impressed with the woman walking next to him. "Ordinarily, yes. There are however some factors that help in this situation. First of all, Siberia is a rather remote area, which means there are barely any witnesses. Secondly, the Russians are a very proud nation, so they wouldn't be very quick to announce they needed help. And not to mention that I have many defences in place that make revealing my house's existence to the world very difficult."

"Isn't it still very risky, despite all of that?"

"Of course. But I couldn't just sit by in this situation. The omnics had to be stopped before they reached urban centers. Also I believe that they received or are receiving outside assistance. They shouldn't have the resources to field an army this size. I have sent quite a sizable force, equipped with state of the art technology and they still had trouble driving them back. And nobody else would intervene until it was way too late."

Mercy nodded a couple of times. "The Russians must be grateful."

"I'm sure they are, especially since they received the help pretty much for free. And will be left in a much better position than they were in, even before this attack." He turned his head towards Mercy. "So as you can see, there really wasn't a reason to trouble you or your companions, Lady Angela." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"I suppose." She stated glancing up at him.

They walked in silence for some time, both deep in thought. Soon they reached the living area of the base. They stopped in front of the door to the complex.

"I-" They both said at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed slightly at the situation.

"Go ahead, Lady Angela." Villen said with a smile.

"No, no. You go ahead Villen. I insist." She returned the smile.

Villen nodded. "As you wish. I wanted to apologise for not sharing the information about the attack in Russia. I do not want you to think I do not trust you. It is just… still difficult for me to share information."

"Don't worry Villen, I understand. I actually wanted to apologize as well. In case I sounded accusingly. I guess I'm still a bit overwhelmed. You are doing so much for us." She looked him straight in the eyes.

Villen quickly turned and walked through the door, wanting to get away from this conversation. "Really, Lady Angela, you have nothing to apologise for. And like I mentioned to the commander earlier, no thanks are necessary." Villen's mind was in conflict, he wanted desperately to avoid any more gratitude, not knowing how to deal with it, but simultaneously he really enjoyed talking to Mercy and didn't really want to break the conversation.

Mercy surprised at the sudden change of the knight's mood stood for a moment dumbfounded. Then she quickly caught up to him. "What's wrong, Villen? Did I say something wrong."

The knight stopped in his tracks. He didn't want Angela to blame herself. For some reason he cared about her happiness more than many other people's. "Of course not, Lady Angela." He tried to reassure her with a smile but the result seemed forced. Villen did not like this situation. Being unsure what to do did not sit well with him. And there was also the fact that he really didn't want to upset Mercy.

She took a step towards him and gently grabbed his arm. "What's wrong then?" Her voice was filled with a genuine worry.

"I… I am not very comfortable with all of this gratitude I have received today. I am unsure how to handle it. It is not something I am used to."

Mercy's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You have never been thanked for your actions?"

"I rarely remain on site long enough. I am not doing what I do for recognition. I just enjoy helping people and doing what I think is right."

"That doesn't mean the gratitude is unfounded. There is no shame in accepting it, Villen." She gave him a wide smile and squeezed his arm gently.

The knight considered her words for a moment. "I suppose you are correct. Seems I still have much to learn in my old age." He gave her a wide smile.

She laughed lightly. "Don't we all? Now let's get you settled in." She started leading him down the corridor.

It took them some time to find a room that was in a somewhat presentable condition and didn't require too much work. The room they settled on was on the same floor as Mercy's although the door was in a different corridor. Everything in the room was covered by a thick layer of dust and some dirt here and there but that was the only issue with the room. They have found bedsheets in a sealed bag in one of the cupboards.

"Is there someplace I can get some cleaning supplies?" Villen turned to Mercy.

"There is a supply closet in the corridor to the right. Anything you need should be there." She smiled. "Do you need any help cleaning?"

Villen returned the smile and shook his head. "Oh no, Lady Angela. I am sure I will manage."

Mercy nodded. "Very well then. I shall leave you to get settled in." She went back out into the corridor and Villen followed her.

"Before you go, Lady Angela, I…" He paused for a moment. "I have something for you."

"Really, Villen, you have already done way too much, there-"

"Please, Lady Angela, I insist." He interrupted her, giving her a smile.

"V-very well." She nodded.

Villen pulled out a data stick and a small device in the shape of a dragon scale, not bigger than his palm and only a few millimeters thick. He first handed her the data stick.

"This is all the data and research I have on the nanobots I based on your design. Perhaps you will find something worth implementing in there. And…" He held out his palm, the other device resting on it. "Could you please place your finger on here?" He pointed at the middle of the scale.

Mercy looked up at him from the data stick she has been examining. She was wondering how much information was on there. She looked at the scale and back at Villen, raising her eyebrow in question.

"Don't worry," he said with a wide smile, "it's nothing dangerous."

She considered it for a moment and then placed her finger on top of the device. A slight light got emitted from under it. After a nod from Villen she took away her finger. The knight placed the device on her palm.

"This device is a type of distress beacon. As I swore to protect you, if you are ever in danger and I am not there just activate it by pressing in the same place you placed your finger on. I will make my way to you as fast as possible." Mercy lowered her head as much to examine the device as to hide the blush forming on her face. "Only you can activate it now."

"T-this really isn't necessary…" She said shyly.

"I hope it won't be, Lady Angela. But I will be calmer knowing you have it, just in case." He closed her hand around the device.

"O-okay. Thank you." Villen saw the smile appear on Mercy's face, even though she was still looking down at the device.

"I won't keep you any longer, Lady Angela." He said, taking a step back and bowing. "Thank you for your help in finding me a place to stay, Lady Angela."

She looked up at him still processing the situation. "Y-you're welcome." She muttered.

Villen smiled at her and retreated into his room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

If either of them looked down a corridor they would have seen Tracer, who came over to check if they needed any help. They would have seen how when she noticed Villen giving something to Mercy and her looking down, flustered, she retreated around the corner and watched covertly with a grin on her face. But neither of them turned that way, so they didn't see it.

She could see the knight enter his room, closing the door behind him. Mercy standing in front of the door for a few more moments looking down at her hand, where Villen placed something. She saw her friend shake herself out of the confusion as she started heading down the corridor, still looking down, twisting something in her hand. The problem was, she was coming towards Lena.

Tracer retreated entirely around the corner, thinking what to do. After a moment she decided the course of action. She moved away from the corner, waiting for Mercy to get closer, and then walked around it, pretending she had just come this way. She nearly bumped into her friend who was too focused on the device in her hand to notice Tracer. As she did in the last moment she got slightly startled.

"Lena!" Mercy exclaimed in shock. "Sorry, I didn't see you there. What are you doing here?"

"I just came over to see if you loves need any help." The Brit replied cheerily.

Tracer noticed a momentary flash of read on Mercy's cheeks and had to focus really hard to contain a giggle. Mercy quickly put the things she got from Villen in her pockets.

"We actually just found a room for Villen, so you are a bit late." Mercy smiled at her friend, now much calmer.

"I see. Well how about we go grab some coffee since you are free now, huh love?" Tracer pointed behind her with her thumb, a wide grin on her face.

"You know what, Lena. I'd love that."


	12. Time's heart

**Author's note:**

 **Here goes another chapter! Hope you will like it!  
Thank you to 3rd wheel for your review. Concerning your question, I plan on including all the Overwatch characters in my story in one way or another, but for now I only included former members of Overwatch, with the obvious exception of Ana and Mei, who are off doing their own things. It made sense to me that only them would respond to the recall.  
Also thank you to ZERONEX for your review. I hope you like Villen that way, and I hope I will manage to keep up writing him that way.  
Yet again let me know all the spelling/grammatical mistakes I made.  
Please, enjoy the read!**

* * *

The two women grabbed their coffee from the kitchen and sat down by one of the tables in the mess hall. On their way here they discussed recent events. Tracer recounted the story Villen told her and Reinhardt to Mercy. They also came up with theory after theory, each more ridiculous than the last concerning how Villen managed to do what he did. Mercy didn't even try to contain her laughter at her friends imagination.

After they sat down and stopped laughing for long enough, Mercy took a sip of the coffee. She immediately leaned back in her chair letting out a relaxed sigh. "You have no idea how I needed that." She chuckled.

"Course I do, love. Why do you think I proposed it?" Tracer giggled giving Mercy a cheeky smile.

Angela just shook her head and took another sip. The warmth of the drink really helped her relax. Her mind started wondering.

Tracer noticed her friend's dreamy state. "So, Lady Angela," she tried to imitate Villen's way of speaking, not doing a very good job, "what do you think about our newest ally?" She asked with a wide grin plastered on her face.

Mercy blushed slightly, but quickly fought it off. "What do you mean?"

Lena giggled at the slight fluster the question caused in her friend. "I'm just curious what you think about him. Well other than the fact that you are clearly enjoying his company." She gave Mercy a quick wink and giggled.

This time Angela's cheeks flushed with red and she was unable to stop it. "Well… I admit he is quite unique… And he has that aura about him, that for some reason just makes me think I can trust him with anything, you know?"

"Isn't it a bit creepy though how he seems to have that much influence, and no one knows?" Creepy isn't the word Tracer would normally use in this situation. She had to admit the knight had intrigued her and just kept on surprising everyone. She couldn't believe it when Genji told her that Villen managed to keep up with him in a duel after she bumped into the tired cyborg. Not to mention the fact that he somehow conjured up all of these resources for them to use. But she did use the word creepy because she may have been trying to provoke Angela somewhat.

"Creepy?" Angela asked surprised. "Not at all, I think it is rather intriguing. You know he-" She stopped herself, making Tracer perk up at the sudden silence.

"He?" Tracer asked inquisitively. "Go on." Curiosity filled her eyes.

Angela lowered her gaze. "I probably shouldn't… I'm not sure I can share anything he told me…"

"He told you stuff?" Tracer couldn't contain her excitement. "Like about himself?"

"M-maybe…" Mercy muttered, blushing even harder.

Lena giggled at her friends reaction. She leaned back in her chair with the biggest grin on her face. "Well, well, well. So he spends a lot of time with you, shares his secrets with you and giving you gifts. If I didn't know any better, love, I'd think-"

"Gifts?" Mercy interrupted her, looking up at Lena and narrowing her eyes slightly. "How do you know he gave me something?"

This time it was Tracer, who grew red with embarrassment. "Me and my big mouth." she thought. "W-well, I-" She struggled for an excuse.

Mercy's eyes widened. "You didn't just come over to help with finding a room for him, did you?" There was just a slight hint of accusation in Mercy's voice. It was mostly filled with surprise.

"I did!" Tracer defended herself. "I just… might have arrived a bit earlier…"

"You might have?" Angela burst out laughing. "Lena you are impossible!" It took a second until she calmed down. "Why didn't you come over?"

A grin returned to Tracer's face as soon as Mercy started laughing. "Well, I didn't want to interrupt nothing. Especially after you sou quickly volunteered to help Villen, love."

Angela's face yet again filled with red as she lowered her head. "I was just trying to be nice…"

Trace giggled. "Sure you did, Ang." She blinked to sit next to her instead of opposite. "Now show me what you got from him." Mercy shook her head in disbelief and looked at her friend. "What? I'm curious, can't help it."

Angela let out a resigned sigh, although a smile was wide on her face. She took out the data stick from her pocket. "He gave me all of his research on nanites. He based them on my design and I suppose this is how he wanted to repay me."

"Sounds neat. What about the other thing?" Tracer responded excitedly.

"How long were you watching us, Lena?"

"Not long! I just noticed something else in your hand, that wasn't this data stick when I… revealed myself." She gave Mercy her signature smile.

Angela sighed, shaking her head. She pulled out the other device she got from Villen. She placed the matte gray scale on the table in front of her.

Tracer leaned forward examining the device. "What is it?"

Mercy blushed yet again. "Apparently it's a distress beacon. I'm supposed to activate it if I am in danger." She muttered.

Tracer's mouth opened and eyes widened as she looked at her friend. "Oh my god, Ang. You know what that means?"

Angela looked at her friend raising her eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

"That means, he really cares about you. I have a feeling you really caught his eye." Her grin widened even more, although it seemed impossible. "And I can't say I blame him" She gave her friend a quick wink.

The shade of red on Mercy's face deepened. "Y-you're reading way too much into this, Lena. He just feels obliged to repay me after I saved his life."

"Maybe I am reading too much into it, love." Tracer gave her a sly look. "But by the way you turned red, and the hopeful look in your eye, I say you hope that I'm not."

Mercy lowered her gaze. "N-no. That's not true."

"Sure it's not, love." She put her hand around Angela's shoulders and hugged her lightly. "Sure it's not."

* * *

Villen decided not to put too much effort in cleaning his room, since the renovation crew would soon be arriving and he didn't have any belongings to fill the room with anyway. He focused his efforts on the bedroom and bathroom to make his living experience over the following days a bit more pleasant. Thanks to the cleaning supplies he found in the closet Angela pointed him to, the work was going quickly. Villen took the time during cleaning to read up some basic information on the members of Overwatch he met, on a small display that looked like a single lens from glasses, attached to a small headset he wore. He asked Vea to leave out Soldier: 76's identity. It was obvious to Villen that the man wanted it hidden, and he wanted to respect that. So the data he received consisted mostly of the soldier's vigilante actions and the few instances of breaking into Overwatch facilities and stealing pieces of technology. It seemed unusual to Villen that the soldier joined with this renewed Overwatch and that he even knew about it. But, as Villen guessed, that just proved him resourceful and they needed everyone.

He didn't even realize for how long he stopped to think about the man before a familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

" _Sir, are you sure you don't want to know his real name? You have been standing there for an unusually long time."_

Villen chuckled. "Yes, Vea, I'm sure. And please inform Henry of my attitude towards that. I wouldn't want to receive an unfortunately worded report in the future…"

" _Of course, Sir."_

* * *

When Villen entered the mess hall his attention was immediately drawn to the two women engaged in an animated conversation, sitting opposite each other beside the table in the corner of the room. The two cups on the table were pushed off to the side. As the knight watched them for a moment his eyes were drawn to Tracer's chronal accelerator. He noticed how it sometimes lightly hit the table when she leaned forward, causing the woman to quickly lean back and absentmindedly brush her hand on it, as if to make sure it wasn't damaged. Villen thought for a moment. The harness couldn't have been too comfortable, although after all these years of using it, Tracer must have gotten used to wearing it constantly. Suddenly an idea appeared in Villen's head and he turned on his heel and marched off to find Winston.

* * *

"Commander Winston, are you in here?" Villen said upon carefully entering the room, the gorilla used as his lab. It consisted of the first floor, mostly cluttered with various parts tools, and electronic devices. A large tire was hanging from the ceiling on a thick rope. A set of stairs run along one of the walls, up to the walkway leading to a semi-circular room with a big glass window overlooking the ground floor. The walkway then continued around the entire room. A sight of a pile of empty peanut butter jars in one corner of the room as well as the caps from the scattered around the room brought a smile to Villen's face.

"Ah, Villen, come in, come in." Winston's voice sounded from the upper walkway. The gorilla jump down deftly with an audible thud. "And please, just Winston is fine." He gave the knight a wide smile, baring his teeth. "Can I help you?"

Villen nodded. "As it happens, I do have a favour to ask."

"Anything." Winston answered quickly causing a smile to appear on the knight's face.

"Would you mind giving me the schematics to Lena's chronal accelerator?"

The scientist was somewhat taken aback by the question but he quickly collected himself. "I don't think that will be a problem. May I ask why you need them?"

"Well, to look them over first. But if my plan works I want to give Lena a nice surprise." A sly smile formed on his face.

Winston just shook his head and laughed. "Always the man of secrets, aren't you Villen. I hope you will be successful with… whatever it is you are planning to do. Lena loves surprises." As he was saying that he headed towards the stairs to the upper floor, motioning for Villen to follow him.

"I hope she will love this one as well. And of course I hope I can count on your discretion?" He gave the gorilla another sly smile.

Winston laughed again. "Absolutely. I wouldn't want to ruin this surprise. Not that I even know what it entails." As they entered the upper room he grabbed the nearest data stick and plugged it into the computer. "Athena, copy all the schematics of the chronal accelerator to this data stick."

"As you wish Winston." a female voice replied. "I hope you know what you're doing."

The gorilla seemed embarrassed at this remark. He turned to the knight. "Sorry about her. She… doesn't really trust you."

Villen chuckled. "I am not surprised. Still I hope to prove myself in your eyes, Athena."

"Transfer complete." Was the only response the AI gave.

Winston shook his head and grabbed the data stick. He handed it over to Villen. "There you go." After a moment of thought he smiled. "Will we know what this surprise was or is it going to become one of your signature secrets?"

Villen laughed in response. "No, Winston, I think you will know if it works." After a moment to calm himself he continued. "Now if you will excuse me, I would like to get to work on this as fast as possible. Thank you very much for the schematics."

"That's no problem." The gorilla replied. "Actually I have one more question before you go."

"Yes?" Villen asked curiously.

"I find it hard to believe you couldn't just get those schematics if you wanted. Why ask?"

Villen laughed once again. "You are right, Winston, I probably could have. They have probably been in my database for a long time. But using other people's designs... is not something I particularly enjoy doing. Not without their knowledge. Not to mention the fact that we are allies, and what kind of ally would I be if I just stole from you?" He smiled.

"Well I'm glad you asked." The gorilla returned the smile. "I won't keep you any longer. I can't wait to hear Lena's reaction to your surprise."

"Neither can I, Winston, neither can I."

* * *

After he returned to his room, Villen took out the holographic projector from his pocket and placed it on one of the cupboards. He pressed on its side revealing a data port. He plugged in the device he had received from Winston.

"Vea, create a model of the harness and display it, please."

The holographic image of the chronal accelerator appeared in front of him. Villen moved his hand in front of it to the right and the components of the harness separated, highlighting the most important parts and displaying descriptions of them. Villen frowned as he examined every part in detail. He was slowly stroking his beard as ideas were rushing through his brain. He took his time to make sure he knew exactly how the device in front of him worked.

After about two hours passed he was confident he could replicate both the device itself and its functions exactly. He took a step back from the projector.

"Alright, Vea. Start a new project, codename: Time's heart. Include the chronal accelerator's schematics in it. I also want you to cross reference it with our technology to check if we can miniaturize it somehow."

" _The results show that any further miniaturization will cause the chronal field's cohesion to drop below acceptable levels."_

"What if we used multiple smaller sources?"

" _Theoretically multiple emitters should be able to create a complete field. Basic simulations even show a 32.5% increase in operational efficiency."_

"Excellent. Add the acoustic dampening emitter's schematics into the project. It will make for a good basis." Villen cracked his knuckles and a wide smile appeared on his face. "Now for the fun part."

* * *

" _Sir, Captain Tirel just signaled she is ready to make her report."_ Vea's voice snapped Villen out of his thoughts. He had been working on the schematics in front of him for a few hours and there were still many issues he had to resolve. He sighed.

"Alright, Vea, I suppose a break is in order anyway. Activate the armor and put her through."

After the armor had formed around him the holographic projector in front of him flickered, changing from displaying schematics to now show a person. The woman in the projection was wearing full combat attire, enhanced with various pieces of advanced technology. She had removed her mask and helmet that normally accompanied the uniform, showing her short, black hair being tossed around by the wind. As soon as she appeared she bowed deeply.

"My Lord." She spoke in a calm voice.

"Captain." Villen bowed his head in acknowledgment. "I trust your mission was successful."

"Yes, Sir." She straightened herself. "We successfully infiltrated the omnium, gathered as much intel as we could, sabotaged their manufacturing capabilities and exited without losses, as ordered, Sir."

"Excellent work, Captain. What have you learned about their mysterious suppliers?"

"We have found Vishkar's teleporter technology inside, Sir. That's how the materials got to the omnium undetected."

"Vishkar?" The knight thought for a moment. "I can see how the war could benefit them but I did not think they would just fund the omnic war machine. It is most unusual."

"I agree, Sir. But perhaps the potential profits clouded their judgement."

Villen nodded slowly. "Perhaps… I will look into it further. I trust you have disabled the portal?"

"Not… exactly, Sir." She lowered her head slightly.

"What do you mean, Captain?" A note of concern could have been heard in the knight's voice.

"Forge managed to get close enough to the teleporter to… tinker with it. Said it will blow the next time it's used. On both sides apparently."

Hussar thought for a moment. "That could work. I trust Forge's judgment." He nodded a couple of times and then looked straight at the captain again. "Excellent work, Captain. Pass on my regards to your team. You did the honor guard proud."

The woman bowed again. "Thank you, Sir."

"Now, as much as I want to give you and your team the rest you deserve, I would like you to assist Colonel Kalita in bringing this offensive to a swift end. Even though you have crippled the omnium, there is still an army of omnics between him and his target. Rendezvous with him and provide any assistance you can. I am sure he will appreciate it."

"Of course, Sir. We will depart immediately."

"Thank you, Captain. And good luck."

The woman nodded and the connection was cut.

Villen sighed. "Vea, deactivate the armor." As his suit began to retract around him he continued. "Message Henry to monitor for the two explosions. Maybe we will manage to find out where the omnics' suppliers are operating from." He rubbed his temples. "Alright, bring the schematics back up."

* * *

" _Simulation successful. Generated field identical in all parameters to one generated by the chronal accelerator."_

Villen breathed a sigh of relief as he took a step back from the projector, now showing the finished design. "Excellent. Now I just need materials to build it."

" _I have notified Henry earlier. He promised he will send parts with the building crew."_

"You notified him earlier? How did you know what parts I will even need?" Villen asked, slightly confused.

" _I didn't. But knowing you, Sir, you will not stop at this project, not to mention that I'm sure others would like access to some better components as well. So I just ordered a large variety of them."_

Villen laughed at the AI's remark. "Thank you, Vea. I can always count on you."

" _No problem, Sir. Henry also said, to expect the building crew at about eight a.m. today."_

"Today? What time is it exactly?" Villen looked around the room but a clock was nowhere to be found.

" _It's 5:43, Sir."_

"Oh dear." Villen didn't even realise he had worked all throughout the night. As usual he got too invested in his work. "Alright, notify Winston about the arrival time of the builders." He rubbed his temples as the fatigue got to him. "I will go get a shower and then something to eat."

" _You should eat first, Sir. You need the power. And it's not like you actually need to shower."_

"I am well aware. I have to say, Vea, you have developed this weird habit of reminding me about things I know. I designed these nanites, I know what they are capable of."

" _Well, Sir, if it didn't seem like you keep forgetting about all these things, I wouldn't feel the need to remind you."_

Villen laughed as he made his way to the bathroom. "You are impossible, Vea. Impossible."

" _Likewise, Sir. Especially seeing as you are still going to the bathroom instead of the mess hall."_

Villen just shook his head, a wide smile present on his face. "I might not need to shower, but I enjoy the feeling of warm water running down my skin. So I am taking this shower." He started to run the water, adjusting its temperature until it suited him. "And if you are so worried about my energy, the water absorbed through my skin should last me well until I reach the mess. So, off you go." He said, taking off his trench coat and laying it down on one of the cupboards. The rest of his clothes soon followed, placed on top of it. As he entered the shower, he saw a small wave go across his clothes making him shake his head slightly. The feeling of warmth caused by the water quickly overwhelmed him however. He took his time just standing under the shower, enjoying it. It was calming, especially after all the excitement of the previous few days. This relaxation had a side effect, however as he realised just how tired he was. With a heavy sigh he turned off the water. He raised his arm and looked down at it, noticing how, slowly, the water that stayed on his skin started to disappear. He took a step out of the shower and before his sole hit the bathroom floor it was dry. He dressed quickly. As soon as he put on the coat a familiar voice sounded in his head.

" _I took the liberty to clean your clothes, Sir."_

"I saw. Thank you, Vea, I appreciate it." He checked his look in the mirror and adjusted his clothes. "Now, time to get something to eat. I will need it for today."

Villen quickly left the room and headed to the mess hall. Once there, he grabbed some rations again and sat down at one of the tables. While not the most tasty, the packed rations were highly nutritious. Villen ate his meal in silence. As he finished about half of the meal, Genji entered the room. The two men nodded at each other and the cyborg entered the kitchen. He returned a moment later, holding the same tray of rations as Villen. He stopped by the knight's table.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all, Sir Genji, have a seat." Villen stood up and pointed at the chair opposite his.

The two men sat down at the same time. Genji looked up at the knight. "Please, Villen. Genji is sufficient."

The knight nodded. "As you wish, Genji. Seems like a trend is forming."

The cyborg tilted his head slightly in confusion. "A trend?"

Villen chuckled. "People insist I refer to them using only their name."

Genji gave him a knowing nod. "You have quickly befriended many of us, Villen. It is not surprising."

The knight nodded a few times and smiled. "That is good to hear."

The face plate on Genji's armor lifted slightly as he took a few bites from his food. Villen looked at him curiously for a second but then continued eating his meal as well. After he finished he looked up at the cyborg who was still eating.

"I have to say, I am somewhat surprised you returned to Overwatch after the recall. I remember you left some time before it was disbanded."

Genji looked up at him from his meal. "There was a journey I had to take, to fight my inner demons. It took a lot of time but I emerged victorious. After I received the recall signal I considered ignoring it and moving along with my life on my own terms. I have realised, however, that there would be no honor in leaving my friends alone on the battlefield, especially since I owe them so much." He paused for a few moments, thinking. "Not to mention… these people accept me as I am. Which is much, much more than I can say about the rest of the world."

"I can imagine." Villen nodded slowly. Before he could say anything else however, the attention of both men was caught by a loud yawn. As they turned their heads they saw Trace, who had just entered the mess hall, yawning widely and stretching her arms. The sleep was still somewhat visible in her eyes as she looked at the two men.

"Morning, loves." She said sleepily, earning her a smile from Villen and a chuckle from Genji.

"Lena, I can't believe you are awake at this time." The cyborg said.

Tracer frowned playfully. "Hey, I'll have you know that I am perfectly capable of waking up early. If I have a choice however, I choose not to." Her voice was much more cheery as she was fighting more and more of the sleepiness off. She rubbed her neck. "Not to mention I stayed up late yesterday…" She entered the kitchen. Suddenly a loud groan could be heard from there and a moment later Tracer appeared with yet another tray of rations. She didn't look pleased. She plopped down on a chair next to Genji, placing the tray in front of her. She looked down at it and with a heavy sigh started eating.

"And willingly eating rations? Today feels special already." The cyborg spoke, not hiding the amusement in his voice.

Lena looked up from the food and shot Genji a glare. "It's not exactly willingly. But I can't be bothered trying to prepare something else."

Genji laughed at Tracer's offended tone. She soon joined him, giggling. Villen looked at the pair in amusement, a wide smile on his face, as he leaned back in his chair.

After she stopped giggling, and took a few more bites of food, Tracer looked up at the knight. "And you, love, did you find your new bed comfortable?" She asked, a smile not leaving her face.

"Well I, uh-" Villen stuttered, slightly embarrassed. "I have not slept yet. I got caught up with work…"

Lena went wide-eyed. "But you look rested!" She exclaimed. "Like you had a comfortable, long sleep." Her voice went a bit dreamy as she said the last sentence.

Villen chuckled. "Well, I have other ways of gaining energy."

Lena narrowed her eyes and frowned as she looked at the knight. "That's cheating." She kept up the facade for a short while more and then started giggling at Villen's surprised reaction. The two men joined her in laughter. After she calmed down, Tracer spoke up again. "So now you don't need to sleep. Will you ever stop with the surprises?" She asked with a grin.

Villen smirked. "No, I think surprises are now my… "thing". So you better get used to them, because I am not stopping anytime soon."


	13. Time in a bottle

**Author's note:**

 **A bit of a longer chapter this time. Whoops.  
Thank you to KeepingThemAtBay for yet another review! I'm really glad you are enjoying the story! I hope I manage to only further improve it.  
Also thank you to ZERONEX for your second review. Being too nice is like Villen's signature move at this point.  
I hope you will enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Villen's coat billowed lightly in the wind, as he stood on the deck outside the hangar. He enjoyed the sensation of the morning sun and the cool breeze on his skin as he looked into the distance. What just a moment ago were a few small dots in the sky had grown, multiplied and became more distinguished. The rumble of engines tore through the air becoming louder with each passing moments as the helicopters approached. Villen could make out five large, twin engine machines, four of which carried large containers slung to their undersides. What surprised the knight, however, was seeing two of his own helicopters accompanying them. They had a much more futuristic look about them, consisting of pointy edges and triangular and trapezoidal surfaces to limit radar detection. The matte black paint bore no distinguishing markings. Villen watched as the cargo helicopters deposited their loads in various areas of the watchpoint, making use of the open spaces it consisted of. The deck Villen was standing on was not large enough for them all to land on, they had to unload one by one.

The first chopper to land, was one of the twin engine ones. As it didn't carry any cargo underneath it, it landed while the other were detaching their containers. Villen took a step back and raised his hand to protect his eyes as the helicopter lowered, kicking up a massive amount of dust that, up to this point, covered the landing deck with the wind caused by its rotors. Villen's long coat billowed harder, flapping roughly in the air. The chopper's engines powered down quickly and the back ramp lowered. As dust started to settle a company of soldiers started pouring out of the helicopter and forming up on the deck. One of the soldiers detached from the group and marched towards Villen. The fabric on his dark blue beret waved lightly in the breeze. As he stopped in front of the knight he saluted.

"Major Wells, reporting for security detail, Sir." He spoke with a somewhat posh british accent.

Villen returned the salute. "Welcome, Major. I would like you to report to Commander Winston." He turned and pointed at the gorilla, who was standing some way behind him, inside the hangar, along with the rest of the crew. They didn't want to so openly show themselves, out on the deck where they could have been easily spotted. "He is in charge of this facility, and you will answer to him, or whoever he will assign you to." After receiving a nod of confirmation from the solider he continued. "Now, take your men of the deck and have them set up as fast as possible. We would not want unauthorized eyes around this new research station, would we?" He gave the soldier a smile.

"No, Sir." He turned back towards his company. "Everyone to their assigned positions, I want this place secure ASAP." He gave Villen a quick nod and marched towards Winston, while his unit headed inside the hangar. As soon as they cleared the deck, the helicopter powered back on and took off causing another gust of wind. The other four choppers landed one by one, unloading builders and construction equipment. Hover forklifts buzzed around the deck and the hangar, moving cargo around. Villen noticed a familiar figure delegating people around, coordinating the unloading effort. A short, stubby, middle-aged man conducted his men as if they were an orchestra, waving his hands in an animated manner and shouting orders either at the people around him, or into his radio. Villen smiled at seeing the familiar foreman. As the deck cleared after the last cargo helicopter took off the man approached Villen.

The foreman opened his arms as he neared the knight. "Ah, Signore Hussar!" He had a heavy Italian accent. He gave Villen a quick hug. "So good to see you again!"

"And you Giacomo." Villen gave the man a nod.

"You look well, signore! And you got old Giacomo such a big job!" He gestured to the surrounding area.

"Only hiring the best, as always." A smirk appeared on the knight's face.

"You flatter me, signore. I have all the parameters ready, but do you maybe have some special requests?" He eyed the knight curiously.

Villen laughed. "Only that you provide the best possible service to my friends, which I am sure you will. Maybe you should ask if they want anything special." He gestured to the Overwatch agents, now more spread out, investigating the cargo, or talking to workers or soldiers.

"Of course, of course. They will all be more than satisfied with the state of this facility after I'm finished with it, or my name isn't Giacomo Morandi!" He said, emphasizing his words with animated gestures. He moved towards the people in the hangar with a quick pace. Villen could hear him calling on to the Overwatch members to come closer. The knight's attention got quickly diverted, however, as the two remaining black helicopters landed on the deck. As they were both much smaller than the cargo ones, the fit easily on the deck. Another feature that contrasted them with the loudly rumbling behemoths the cargo choppers were, was that the sleek helicopters were incredibly silent. The only noise they seemed to make came from the air being stirred by their rotors. As soon as they touched the ground, their blades slowed down quickly. One of the helicopters wheeled inside the hangar, folding its blades as it went to take up less room, and occupied a free space in the building. The other helicopter's side door slid open, and another familiar figure, emerged heading straight towards Villen.

Henry stopped a few steps in front of Villen. "My Lord." He went to bow, but found the knight's arms on his shoulders. He was pulled into a short hug. After a moment Villen released him and took a step back, his arms returning to rest on his shoulders.

"Henry! I did not expect to see you here. It is good to meet you in the flesh again, it has been too long."

The man nodded with a smile. "It certainly has, My Lord. Must be over a year since you were last in the Nest."

"I hope to remedy that soon." Villen smiled and took his arms away from the man. "I assume you are here to oversee the setup?"

"Yes, My Lord. I figured it would be easier to coordinate from here. And it will be easier for your Overwatch friends to provide any input they might have."

Villen turned and gestured towards the hangar. They started slowly walking inside. "As always, thinking about everything." He smiled at the young man walking beside him.

"That's my job, My Lord." He returned the smile and turned his head back towards the hangar. "The renovation will start with the living quarters, they should be finished by tonight, so there will be no need to find temporary housing for the agents. The materials you requested should be being moved to the workshop right now, if you wish to use them, My Lord."

"Excellent. I will go there soon, I wish to finish this before the work is done on Lena's room." He stopped and thought for a moment. "It might actually take some time to put together, and I would like to be sure I will finish in time." He looked over at the Overwatch agents, unable to hold back the smile as he noticed the foreman still excitedly talking to them. "I will go there now, you should probably save them from Giacomo."

The man bowed slightly. "As you wish, My Lord."

"And do not dare to leave here before we get a chance to properly talk." Villen said as the two men parted ways, Henry heading towards the middle of the hangar and Villen cutting across it towards the exit.

* * *

Tracer was loving it. She spent the day running and blinking around the compound. Since Henry invited, and even encouraged, them to oversee the construction and security efforts she kept herself busy. Talking to people, watching them work, checking in with sentries around the perimeter. Even though most of the workers were focused on the living areas because, as the energetic Giacomo said, they wanted to make sure the accommodation was ready for them by tonight, she observed as some of the workers made preparations for the following days. Moving equipment around and tidying up the unused equipment and scrap that still littered some areas of the Watchpoint. She helped here and there, but never stayed in one place for too long, always excited to see what was going on in another part of the base. She also found herself enjoying the attention, as she was stopped a surprising, to her, amount of times and asked for an autograph by some workers, who recognised her from the days Overwatch was still functioning. Everything she signed filled her with more hope for the future, confirming her belief that there were still people out there seeing them as heroes, waiting for them to return and set the world straight.

Before she realised, the evening was fast approaching. She was talking with one of the soldiers patrolling some of the walkways in the Watchpoint. She was really happy her countrymen were guarding the facility, forming opportunities to talk about home and the service. Suddenly her phone chirped as she received a message.

" _Your quarters are done. You can check them out whenever you wish. -Henry"_

Tracer perked up with excitement. She quickly excused herself from the soldier and zoomed off towards the living area living only a blue trail behind her. She stopped only in front of her door. She slowly pushed it open and walked inside.

What she witnessed was more akin to an apartment than her previous quarters. Judging by the size, four separate quarters were combined to form one big one. There was a row of hanger on the wall to her left over a small shoe cabinet, and a standing coat hanger in the corner to the right of the door. The small corridor quickly grew into a living room. It had a rather minimalist decor. It consisted of a sofa and two armchairs with a coffee table in front of them and a big television hanging on the wall opposite. Joined with a living room was an open kitchen, not too big. Still there was more than enough space to comfortably prepare a meal there. Before she could explore more of the room she heard humming coming from her bedroom. She stood confused for a moment, but then a cheeky grin appeared on her face. She started sneaking towards the room, hoping to surprise whoever was inside. As she peaked into the bedroom she noticed a familiar silhouette of Villen. The man was crouched on one knee, tinkering with a weird panel on the wall, poking out slightly from above his head. Lena made entered the room as quietly as possible keeping her eye for any sign that the man noticed she was here. But he seemed completely focused on his work, paying her no attention, humming a cheery tune. Tracer did not recognise the melody.

As she got halfway towards the man, her plan backfired on her, as he suddenly got up and turned, exclaiming, "Boo!" as he did so. Lena jumped up slightly in surprise. The man laughed at her reaction and Lena giggled as well. "Hello, Lena. How are you liking the apartment?" He asked with a big smile.

"How did you know I was here? I thought I was being quiet." She asked putting on a fake frown.

"And you were, but" he paused raising his robotic arm, "I do not need to hear you to know you are here."

Tracer squinted and pouted at him, crossing her arms across her chest. "You're cheating again." They looked at each other and after a moment, they both laughed, as Lena was unable to keep up the offended facade. After a few moments Lena calmed herself. "It really is an apartment at this point isn't it?"

The man nodded. "Indeed."

"Will there even be enough room for everyone at this point?" She giggled.

"There should be." Villen chuckled. "And as far as I am aware there will be extending the building as well, just in case."

"Soo… What are you doing here, love? What's this weird panel thing?" She asked blinking past Villen, standing next to the control panel in the wall.

"Well, that is a surprise I prepared for you." Villen turned around to face her.

Tracer perked up and face the knight as well looking at him wide-eyed. "A surprise?" Villen could see the excitement in her eyes. "What is it?"

"Come on let us go sit down, and I will tell you all about it." Villen gestured and started heading out of the bedroom. Tracer blinked passed him and as he reached the door she was already sitting on one end of the sofa, her legs shaking in excitement. This image brought a smile to Villen's face as he shook his head slightly. He took a seat in the other armchair next to the woman. "So I realised I have prepared this surprise based mostly on assumptions. So if you do not mind I would like to ask you some questions first."

"Sure thing, love. Shoot." She replied cheerily.

"I assume the harness you are wearing is not terribly comfortable."

Lena looked down at the device on her chest. "Oh this old thing? I mean it gets in the way sometimes but I kinda got used to it by now, you know?"

"And you cannot remove it?" Villen inquired further.

"I mean I can, just not for very long. Maybe a minute or two if it's away from me. Winston claims that if it's near me I should be able to go for ten to fifteen minutes without it on but…" Her voice trailed off a bit, and the usual cheeriness faltered. "I have never tested that."

Villen nodded knowingly. "I understand why you would not want to risk it." He gave her a reassuring smile. "So coming back to the surprise…" He paused. Tracer looked up at him, the cheeriness and curiosity returning to her. "Using the schematics for your chronal accelerator I got from Winston and some of my own technology I managed to develop a chronal field emitter." Tracer was studying him intently as he talked, taking in every word. "It is able to extend a field over an area, that will keep you anchored to reality without the need of the harness. Which means you will be able to remove it while in your quarters." He paused, letting his words sink in.

Tracer looked at him, her eyes wide in disbelief. "I will be able to take it off?" She looked down at the device. "I- I don't know-" The hesitation was clear in her voice.

Villen placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled knowingly. "I understand it must be hard for you to even consider taking it off. So how about I go through the failsafes I put in place, maybe it will help you?"

Tracer considered his words and nodded slowly. "O-okay."

"Alright. First of all it is a completely closed system so nobody will be able to remotely deactivate it. Even if by some impossible chance someone got access to the software, I used my best security software on it, making it extremely hard to brake. In the even more unlikely event someone broke through that as well and attempted to deactivate it, there is a mechanical failsafe in place as well. It will emit an alert and give a shutdown period of thirty minutes, keeping the field active giving you time to put on the accelerator." Villen smiled as Tracer's look of hesitation was slowly being replaced by that of amazement. "The other thing is power. As it is hooked up to the main generators of the Watchpoint it will not run out of charge as long as they are running or the connection is not broken. There is also emergency backup batteries for the entire system that should last forty eight hours. In the event that is cut off each emitter is also equipped with an internal battery, lasting about an hour. There are of course alerts set up that will notify you of any changes." The hesitation was now almost completely gone as Tracer was once again letting her excitement get to her. "And because I really do not want this system to fail there is an enormous amount of redundancy. There are four emitters in each room, while only three are required to cover the entire apartment. And I also installed a forcefield by the door that will not let you absentmindedly leave without the chronal accelerator." He winked at the woman, making her giggle.

"Wow, love, you really thought about everything." The sound of wonder and excitement was almost dripping from Tracer's voice.

Villen smiled, pulling out a small device from his pocket and handing it to tracer. It had a touch screen that lit up with various options as she touched it. "This remote will allow you to control the system. There is one thing I have to warn you about. I am unsure how the field will affect people other than you. I could not find any records of this type of testing and I have not had time to test it myself yet. So do not activate the field while someone else is in the room. But if you wish I will set up some samples and leave them here to test the effects of the field. Perhaps we will find out it is harmless."

"I understand." Tracer nodded. "So… shall we test it?"

Villen smiled again seeing the cheer now completely returned to the woman. "Of course." He stood up and headed to the exit, Lena following closely behind. As he stepped through the doorstep he turned around. "Alright you may activate the field."

Lena pressed on the touchscreen. A short hum could be heard and then it fell silent. The display glowed green and showed the field as active.

"Vea, can you confirm the field is active." Villen asked extending his hand and meeting a forcefield blocking his way in.

" _The chronal field is active, Sir. Working as intended."_

"Excellent." He looked at Tracer. "Alright, Lena it is safe to take off the chronal accelerator. But keep it close for now, just in case."

The woman nodded, and started undoing the straps that held the harness to her body. She slowly took it off and held it in her hands, and then slowly placed it on the floor in front of her. As time passed, as they waited to make sure the field was really working, Villen could see Lena struggling slightly to keep her composure, glancing nervously between the accelerator on the floor and her raised hands.

After a few more minutes passed, Villen felt confident they could continue. "Alright, Lena, now you can step away from the accelerator."

Tracer looked up at him, and he could see her swallow. But then a look of determination took over her face. She took a few steps back. After another minute she took another few. They waited as time seemed to pass agonisingly slowly. After ten minutes passed they both exhaled deeply and visibly relaxed. A large smile appeared on Tracer's face, the realization of what this meant for her, as she jumped up in excitement. "It's working!" She exclaimed, starting to giggle and dashing out of Villen's sight further into the room. After a moment a soft thud could be heard as, as Villen suspected, Tracer jumped onto the sofa. A moment later he heard her footsteps again, getting quiter. Another "It's working!" could be heard, although more muffled, probably coming from the bedroom, which caused Villen to chuckle. He didn't laugh for long however as suddenly Tracer darted around the corner heading straight for the door. She stopped just before she hit the forcefield, hitting her forehead with her palm and giggling. Villen looked in confusion as she jumped back, quickly put the harness back on and deactivated the field. It all became clear the next moment as she blinked into Villen and hugged him tightly. Villen had his hands raised in surprise, but he quickly lowered them embracing the woman as well. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She exclaimed jumping up and down in his arms.

"I am glad you liked the surprise." Villen smiled. "Should I prepare the samples for tests?" She looked down at the woman.

When she looked up, Villen could see tears in her eyes. "That would be grand, love." She said, a smile wider than any he had seen before. She squeezed him again. "This was the best surprise."

Villen nodded, his smile not leaving his face as well. "I am glad." He repeated.

Tracer released him and again seemed almost unable to contain her excitement. "This is so amazing. I have to tell everyone!" She jumped up in place and blinked away down the corridor. Villen chuckled and shook his head slightly at Lena's antics. As he was about to turn and walk away a blue trail appeared in the corridor once again, and he felt Lena hugging him again. "Thank you!" She exclaimed and just as soon as she appeared she disappeared again back down the corridor.

Villen turned and walked away from Tracer's room, a smile still stuck on his face. He was more than certain that the joy he brought to his new friend made the effort he put into the project completely worth it.

* * *

A knock on the door snapped Villen out of his thoughts making him drop the pencil he was holding. The holographic schematic of another one of his projects was displayed in front of him. A soothing sound of a piano could be heard from a small speaker, standing next to the projector. Villen grabbed it, turned it off and placed it in his pocket. He walked to the door, thinking who might it be, at this hour. When he opened the door he found Mercy on the other side.

"Lady Angela?" The look of surprise was quickly replaced with a warm smile. "Please, come in." He took a step to the side and gestured inside.

Mercy hesitated. "Are you sure I'm not intruding?"

"Not at all." He repeated the gesture, encouraging her to enter.

She nodded and took a few steps in. Villen closed the door behind her and led her to the living room. "Please, excuse the mess." He said while quickly turning off the projector and placing it in his pockets. He also started to gather various pieces of paper scattered all throughout the room.

Mercy leaned down and picked up one of them. They had a basic sketch of some sort of electronic component on it. She looked up at the man with curiosity. "I wouldn't think you'd still use paper."

Villen paused for a moment looking up at her. He then smiled and continued picking up the sheets. "Well, usually I do not but the workshop is not done yet, and it is better than trying to describe the components to Vea." He picked up the last piece of paper of the floor and walked up to Angela extending his hand. "May I?"

Mercy smiled and handed him the sketch she was holding. He quickly put the stack of papers on a nearby cabinet. Mercy finally got a chance to look around the room. Other than the standard sofa, armchairs and table there were also a few additional cabinets and cupboards. One of them had a window in the doors, and Angela could see a variety of glasses stacked on the shelves. She recalled the foreman Giacomo saying they could each choose the furniture for their quarters, and thought that probably, the energetic Italian already knew what Villen wanted.

Villen turned away from the stack of papers. "Please, have a seat, Lady Angela." He smiled. Mercy nodded and sat down on the sofa. "May I offer you something to drink? Some red wine perhaps?"

"Wine?" Mercy asked surprised. "When did you get wine?"

Villen chuckled. "Henry brought some from home." He moved over to one of the cabinets. "So, shall we share a glass? I guarantee it is very good." He smiled at the woman.

"I have to admit I am quite partial to wine." She returned the smile. "I suppose a glass wouldn't hurt."

"Excellent." Villen took two red wine glasses and place it on the table in front of the sofa. He then opened another cabinet and pulled out a bottle. The special cabinet kept it slightly chilled at the perfect temperature. He grabbed the corkscrew from the kitchen and swiftly uncorked the bottle, pouring each of them half a glass. He sat down in the armchair next to Angela and passed her one of the glasses. He raised his own slightly. "To new friends?" He smiled at the woman.

"To new friends." She returned the smile. Their glasses met with a quiet klink. They each took as sip of the wine. Villen just smiled and relaxed in his chair putting the glass on the table next to him. Mercy couldn't resist taking another sip. "This is delicious." She said looking at the bottle. She noticed there was no etiquette on it. She frowned as she her glass down.

"It's homemade." Villen said as if reading her thoughts. "My great-grandfather's recipe. This particular bottle is over seventeen years old… Never managed to make one quite as good, before or since." He lost his smile and reached for another sip of the drink.

"You mean, you've made this?" Mercy said with both surprise, and worry at the sudden change in the knight's mood.

"Not by myself…" He paused and sighed. He looked up at the woman and the smile returned. "And it is not my recipe so it is not that impressive." He placed the glass back on the table and shifted slightly in his chair. "But, Lady Angela, how can I help you? You have not told me while you are here yet." He said, changing the subject.

Mercy looked at him for a few moments. It was obvious to her the man wished to move the conversation elsewhere and she decided she would not push him. She smiled. "Lena told me what you did for her."

The smile on Villen's face widened. "Ah, yes I remember her mentioning something about sharing that information." He chuckled remembering Tracer's excitement. "She seemed quite happy with the surprise."

Mercy nodded. "Oh yes, she was, believe me. She could barely express herself with all that excitement and that happens very rarely. As you can imagine."

"Indeed." Villen felt even better about the surprise he made for Tracer. "I of course have already transferred the schematics to Winston just in case. There is also a medical override for the forcefield at the door, although I am hoping it will not be necessary for long." He took another sip of the wine. "I hope I will find that the chronal field is harmless to others." He gave Mercy a wide smile. "That still does not really explain your visit, Lady Angela."

Mercy nodded and took a sip of wine. "I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" Villen asked, confused. "Thank me for what?"

"For what you did for Lena." She looked into his green eyes.

"There is really no need. Besides I think she already thanked me more than enough." Villen smiled assuringly.

"I believe you helped her more than you realize." Her smile waned a little as she thought about it.

"What do you mean, Lady Angela?" Villen's voice also became more serious.

Mercy took another sip of the wine. "Even though she doesn't show it, and I know she doesn't allow it to really get to her, but Lena lives in constant fear. Even though Winston made the accelerator as sturdy as it can be, it is still fragile. Every time it malfunctions even slightly Lena has to try really hard not to have a panic attack… And with all the failsafes you put in place and now with the accelerator as backup while your field is active… I doubt even she fully realises it but she has a safe haven."

Villen nodded slowly a couple of times. "Even though she has not told me about it, I imagine that being detached from time was not a good feeling for her… And I thought that she did not deserve to ever go through it again. And I hope the field will help make sure of that."

"It will make her life much more comfortable, that's for sure." Mercy smiled again. "Both physically and mentally."

"I am glad." They both took their last sips of wine and set the glasses down on the table.

They sat in silence for a few moments, each lost in their thoughts. Mercy looked up at the clock hanging on one of the walls. She got up slowly, and Villen who came back from his thoughts as well stood up as well.

"I really should go, it's rather late and I wouldn't want to keep you up. Especially since I heard you have not slept last night." She looked at him almost accusingly.

Villen couldn't help but smile. "Sometimes I just get consumed by work."

"Not too often I hope." She frowned for a moment more and then a smile appeared back on her face. "Thank you again for the wine. It was lovely."

They started heading for the door. "I am pleased you liked it. I have more if you wish to have a drink some time in the future."

"That would be nice, thank you." Mercy blushed slightly. She stepped through the door, Villen opened for her. She turned around to face him. "Goodnight, Villen." She gave him a wide smile.

"Goodnight, Lady Angela. Thank you for your visit." He returned the smile. They nodded at each other and Mercy walked off down the corridor. Villen closed the door and returned to the living room. As his attention was drawn to the bottle standing at the table his smile waned and his mood darkened. He walked over, sat down in the armchair, and poured himself another glass.

Another glass of his favourite wine. The first and last wine he made with his sister after her eighteenth birthday.

He raised the glass and looked at the wine. A weak smile formed on his face. "You always knew how to make things better." He raised the glass slightly more, as if in toast and took a big sip from it. "The world would be lucky to have you now..." He breathed a heavy sigh. He drank the remainder of the wine in the glass in a few quick gulps, and then poured himself another. As he leaned back in his chair again he felt something digging into his side. He pulled out the speaker he was using earlier. Another weak smile flashed through his face as he placed it on the table in front of him. The beautiful sounds of the piano filled the room once again. The music soothed Villen's mind somewhat. He looked down into the glass. "I suppose she is right. You would not want me to blame myself… I just hope you are proud of me, little sister." He raised his glass again. "To salvation."


	14. Dreamscape

**Author's note:**

 **The next chapter is here! I apologize for the delay, but I barely had time to write, not to mention the slight writer's block that came over me.**

 **I would like to take the time to once again take the time to thank everyone who reviewed, followed and/or favorited the story. It really warms my heart every time I see a notification about it, so thank you very much!**

 **I hope you will enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Villen opened his eyes. He was surrounded by white. It stretched as far as he could see, no distinction between the ground and the sky all just one tone of whiteness. The HUD on his suit wasn't picking up anything either. Villen looked around, trying to scan for something, anything that could help orientate himself, but there was nothing. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a sound of bullets bouncing off his armor broke the eerie silence. Villen turned around raising his shield instinctively. He noticed two Talon operatives advancing towards him, firing automatic weapons. The knight lunged towards them his sword ready to strike. They made the mistake of standing too close to each other. With two quick strikes they fell at Villen's feet. Their blood stained the pristine white surface, the red contrasting almost unnaturally with the ground. Another set of bullets hit Villen from behind. He turned around again, this time there was five Talon agents. As soon as he finished them off more appeared behind him, their numbers increasing each time. Villen was glad his armor was withstanding the ever growing onslaught well. Suddenly as he was finishing off another bunch of Talon agent's he heard a scream behind him. He turned and saw a massive Talon force and behind them, raised in the air was a metal bed. Someone was standing next to it, his back turned to Villen. Then the knight noticed who was lying on the bed and his heart seemed to stop. He saw the familiar long black hair, the pale skin, recognised the face of his sister. The man next to the bed moved and Anna screamed out in pain. It became obvious to Villen that she was being tortured. An overwhelming rage took over his body as he began to slice through the hosts of enemy soldiers, trying his hardest to get to his sister. To free her. To save her. But the enemy was unrelenting, the horde seemed to grow faster than Villen was able to push through. His progress begun to slow steadily, coming to a complete halt soon after. The mass of people started pushing Villen away from the bed. "Noooo!" He yelled out, doubling his efforts, straining himself to his limit, just to get a little closer. But the tide of enemies only sped up. He soon found himself being carried away by the mob, unable to move, held from every direction, forced to look at the torture scene in front of him. Forced to face his inability to save his sister from this fate. "Noooo!" He yelled out again, his voice filled with anger and pain. "Anna! Nooo!" He could barely make out the bed now, and could see the unending hosts of enemies between him and his target. But he refused to give up, he tried to resist the tide harder, in the end only able to extend his hand towards the direction he was being carried away from. "Noo.." He said weakly as the bed disappeared from view. He thrashed around in rage managing to kill one or two of Talon agents, but they were easily replaced by another. Soon his strength run out, and his head slumped down in defeat.

Then, suddenly the crowd disappeared from underneath him and he fell to the ground. He raised his head to look towards the bed but he couldn't see anything. He lowered his head again, raising to his knees. He struggled to hold back the tears.

"Vil, what do you think you're doing?" A voice spoke to him. The beautiful voice he so wished he could hear again.

He raised his head to look for the source of the voice. What he saw made him jump up to his feet and open his eyes wide. In front of him stood Anna, her black hair resting on her shoulders. Her hands placed on her hips. A long white robe covering her body, blending with the floor and the background. A smirk adorned her face as her intensively green eyes scanned Villen.

"A- Anna?" Villen struggled getting his words out. "H- how? How can this be?" He looked at his sister, desperate to take in every detail.

"If I had to guess it's your subconscious trying to tell you something." She said with a smile. Hearing her voice again made Villen incredibly happy, even if he didn't quite understand how it was possible.

"My… subconscious?" He asked, confused. She looked exactly as he remembered her.

"Well, yeah. You are asleep Vil." She shook his head, as if she had just told him something incredibly obvious.

"Asleep?" The realization hit him hard. His mood dropped almost instantly. Sadness and pain returned with full force. He dropped down to his knees again. "This is not real. Of course, it could not be." His voice was trembling. He looked up at Anna. "It could not be real, because you died… You died." He lowered his head, unable to hold back his tears.

He felt a hand on his cheek, raising his head up he saw Anna was now kneeling in front of him, a comforting smile still on her face. He longed to see that smile again for so long. Even though he knew it wasn't real it still made him feel slightly better. "Vil, why do you blame yourself for it?"

"Because I am responsible! If I was more careful, if I did not go around provoking Talon, if I… was strong enough to save you… you would still be here. You are dead because of me, Anna. How can I ever forgive myself for that. For losing you." His voice was trembling and weak, he struggled with words, tears running down his cheeks.

"You are not responsible, Vil. You know I could never blame you for what happened. You did exactly what I wanted you to do. You stood up against the evil of this world. You persisted where so many others would give up. You have saved so many. To others you became a hero you have always been to me, Vil. Look at what you have managed to accomplish! Every failure, instead of bringing you down just strengthened your resolve. I couldn't be more proud of you." Her voice was filled with confidence as she spoke, signaling the fact that she meant what she was saying.

Villen shook his head. Her words hit him hard but there was one thing he couldn't ignore. "You- you are not real, Anna. How, how can I be sure the real you would say that?"

She hugged him in response. "You know me, Vil. And deep down inside you know what I said is true. You knew me better than anyone, you know that it's exactly what I would say. It's time to let go of your grief Vil, to let go of this assumed responsibility. It has been over seventeen years, you can't keep living like that." She tightened her embrace slightly, before letting go and bringing Villen up to his feet. "You have friends, people who care about you. They already helped you take a step in the right direction. I want to see you happy, Vil. Truly happy." She smiled widely at him. "So try to be happy, alright Vil?"

Villen smiled weakly and nodded slowly. "I will try… Thank you, Anna."

"Don't mention it." She waved it off and gave him a quick wink. She hugged him again. "I'm proud of you brother, always remember that. But now it's time for you to wake up."

* * *

Villen sat up on his bed, opening his eyes. He glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. 4:53 a.m. He got out of bed and started slowly dressing, still shaken by the vivid dream fresh in his memory. He grabbed his coat and pulled it on and then started heading towards the bedroom door.

" _That nightmare again, Sir?"_

Villen thought for a moment as he slowly walked out of the bedroom and moved towards the door to his quarters. "Not… quite. It started the same but this time it was different…" His voice trailed off as his mind focused once again at the memory of the dream. He absentmindedly walked through the corridors of the Watchpoint, letting his legs carry him as he was deep in thought. The dream shook him to his core. His thoughts were chaotic which only deepened his frustration.

He found himself on one of the balconies overlooking the sea. The cool breeze flowed over his body, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked over the calm sea. He leaned on the railing and sighed heavily. The facility was silent, with only the low sound of the sea breaking the quiet of the night. Villen reached into his pocket and pulled out the small speaker. With a weak smile he placed it on the railing and activated it. The beautiful sounds of Chopin's Nocturne op. 9, No. 2 started playing. Villen sighed again and allowed his mind to wander. Recalling the better times from his past, wondering about the future. Yet every thought eventually led back to the dream. Villen felt his frustration grow stronger every time. He felt two sides of him clash, the dream has sent his mind into turmoil. Could he really stop feeling responsible for what happened? He lived with it for so long. But simultaneously, if him living like this would really be upsetting to Anna, would taint the memory of her, how could he continue. He entered the path he was on because of his sister, always hoping to make her proud. Why should he not defeat another obstacle that rose up on it?

The turmoil inside him was affecting Villen greatly, a painful reminder of what he felt after Anna died. His inability to decide what to do next didn't help the matter. He slammed his hands down onto the railing in frustration and let out a long sigh. He focused on the music to calm down.

"Is everything alright, My Lord?" Henry's voice came from behind him startling him. Villen cursed the state he was in. His mind totally blanked on the sensory input from his hand. He turned around to face the man. He knew there was no point denying anything was wrong, as the fact that he allowed himself to be startled already spoke volumes about his state of mind. Henry seemed almost as surprised as Villen at the fact.

"No, Henry, I would not say so." He made his voice as calm as he could manage. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I asked Vea to notify me when you were awake, My Lord. I have a report for you." He hesitated for a moment. "But it can wait, since there-"

Villen raised his hand to interrupt him. "No, Henry." His voice suddenly regained all its usual calm. "You know the house always comes first." He turned off the speaker and placed it back in his pocket.

Henry sighed and nodded slowly. He was never sure how he should feel about this particular trait of Villen. The way he was able to push all of his personal problems aside when others needed him was impressive. He was always somehow able to operate at peak strength, never distracted. Henry knew however how much this cost him. How his usual smile would often disappear when the knight thought nobody was looking at him. How he would rather suffer his problems alone, than place even a slight burden on others. Henry knew from his father that it was how he has been since he was a child. While it started mostly for the benefit of Anna, Villen always wanting to be strong for her, not wanting her to worry, it transformed over time and became a part of his general attitude towards people. Villen would always put another first, no matter if it was a stranger or a close friend. And as much as Henry admired him for that ability, it also pained him to know the real state the knight was in, and also his own inability to get through to him. Henry has exhausted every avenue of approach he could think of but Villen was incredibly hard to work with in this case. He seemed, however, to take to these Overwatch agents and Henry was hopeful that maybe there was still a chance for Villen.

"Colonel Kalita reports they have managed to retake the Russian fortifications. They are managing to hold out against omnic attacks, which seem to drop in intensity with each successful defence."

Villen raised his eyebrow. "They have retaken them already? I must say I am impressed."

"I'll make sure to pass on the praise, My Lord." Henry smiled. "The Colonel attributed a good portion of the quick success to the Basilisks. They, as he put it, just "shredded" the omnic walkers. Their shield generators also provided good cover during their advance. Seems the new design is working well, My Lord."

Villen nodded. "That is good to hear." He paused and sighed. "What about the losses?"

"One of the Basilisk got badly damaged after it came under concentrated enemy fire, but the shield generators held long enough for the crew and the surrounding soldiers to evacuate. It has been transported off the battlefield, as per protocol. But thanks to the armor and air support, as well as the help from Captain Tirel and the honor guard the casualties have been kept to the minimum. The number of injured, some of them quite badly, soldiers is growing slowly, but thankfully there has been no deaths."

Villen breathed a sigh of relief. "That is excellent news. Make sure the engineers are ready with the enhancements to the fortifications. When the Russians finally reach their position and the Colonel is confident they will manage to hold them without a problem, he may return to base. Also, remember to pass on my gratitude and compliments."

"Of course, My Lord." Henry bowed his head.

"Now, has there been any word about the Vishkar situation?"

"Unfortunately no, My Lord. We have detected the explosion at the Siberian omnium, but there was no matching one anywhere, which means their facility is either extremely well concealed or they managed to stop the feedback and prevented their teleporter's destruction."

"And no word from our inside sources?"

"No, My Lord. This operation must be organised by a very small circle inside of Vishkar. It will take time for our agents to gather intel."

Villen nodded slowly. "Perhaps it is time to pay one of Vishkar's own agents a visit."

Henry narrowed his eyes slightly. "Do you have anyone specific in mind, My Lord?"

"As a matter of fact I do, someone who has enough power inside Vishkar to investigate this, and who I do not believe would be very pleased to find out about such an operation."

Henry smiled knowingly. "Well, My Lord, there is a Jackdaw waiting in the hangar if you wish to use it."

Villen smiled. "So I have seen. But I will probably have more business outside the Watchpoint, and I wish to have it done as quickly as possible. So a Jackdaw will not do. I want you to get the Griffin here. Also, pull Captain Tirel and her squad back from the Russian front, they are not needed there anymore. They all get a week of leave and then they will transport to here. They will help with ensuring the setup for the new facility goes smoothly."

"As you wish, My Lord." Henry bowed.

"Do you have anything else to report?"

"Not at the moment, My Lord."

Villen smiled. "Good. Then it is time for us to catch up." Villen moved past Henry and entered the building. "Come, join me."

Henry hurried after the knight, matching his quick pace as they moved down the Watchpoint's corridors. They walked in silence for some time. "My Lord, there is something troubling you. If you wish to talk, I-" Henry started cautiously only to be interrupted by Villen.

"I appreciate the offer, Henry, but right now I would rather focus on the more pleasant things. I need time to think about it." He turned his head to face Henry and gave him a small smile.

"As… you wish, My Lord." Henry nodded slowly.

"I realised most of our conversations were strictly business since I was out of the Nest. So I hope this could be a meeting between friends?" They have approached Villen's room. The knight opened the door and invited Henry inside.

"Of course, My Lord. I would like that." Henry smiled as he sat down in one of the armchairs.

"Excellent." Villen took out two shot glasses from the cabinet and placed it on the table. He moved towards the kitchen and came back with a bottle of vodka that he got from the freezer, in his hand. It frosted over quickly as he poured the two shots. Villen sat down as well and the two men raised their glasses and clinked them gently together. "Well then, let us drink to this reunion." Villen said raising his glass slightly.

Henry mimicked his gesture. "And so the next one comes swiftly after." They tipped their glasses, the shots of cold vodka sliding easily down their throats. They put the glasses back down on the table and reclined in their chairs.

"So, Henry, what did I miss during the last year?" Villen smiled, thinking of home.

"Not much, Sire. The Nest is calm, as always."

"Good." Villen paused for a moment looking over the man in front of him. A sly grin appeared on his face. "What I want to know is… How are things with Ewa?"

Henry blushed visibly and lowered his gaze. Villen had to really try to stop himself from chuckling at his reaction only allowing his grin to widen slightly. "Things are well… Exceedingly, so I'd say." Henry raised his eyes again and Villen could see the happiness almost spilling out of them. "I still cannot believe how understanding she is. I mean she barely knows anything about what I do…" His voice trailed off.

Villen looked at him in surprise. "You mean you still have not told her?"

Henry sighed and shook his head. "I have tried, and I actually told her about some things but… I'm not very good at this whole transparency thing. Especially if most of the secrets I keep are not mine to give…"

Villen smiled knowingly and nodded. "I know what you mean. Still you will have to learn. I do not have to remind you that I gave you my permission to tell her. She is a good woman, Henry."

"I know." Henry smiled weakly, nodding. "Just… what if she won't like what she hears…"

Villen laughed as he poured them another shot. "From what you told me, Henry, that will definitely not be the case. I would never guess you of all people would be so shy!"

Henry smiled weakly again, grabbing the glass. "I know, I can't quite believe it myself. But she… She's just so perfect, it's almost intimidating."

"Well then…" Villen raised his glass and they clinked them over the table again. "To courage."

"And hopefully plenty of it." Henry smiled as they gulped down another shot.

* * *

They talked for hours, Henry relaying what was going on with the rest of the staff of the Nest, and later both men reminiscing about old times. After they finished the third bottle, they decided to call it for the day. As they walked through the Watchpoint's corridors, both of them rather drunk, Henry was hanging on Villen to keep balanced. Even though he had some of the knight's nanites inside his body as well, they were not as effective without the suit monitoring and regulating them. That being said, Villen loosened the regulations for the night, getting positively drunk in the process. As it was still early in the morning, they tried to stay relatively quiet. It was hard as they were barely able to contain laughter as they hushed each other every so often. Soon they arrived at the room Henry was staying in. They bid each other farewell, as Henry stumbled through the door, barely managing to close it behind him.

Villen had a wide smile on his face, as he wandered off from the door. "Alright, Vea," he said slowly, slurping his words slightly. "That is enough fun for tonight."

" _Today, Sir."_ She corrected him.

Villen could feel the alcoholic haze lifting from his stopped, taking a few deep breaths, closing his eyes, enjoying the clarity of thought. After a few moments he resumed walking, directing himself towards the hangar.

"Vea, inform Winston I will be out of the base for a few hours."

" _Should I prepare the Jackdaw for departure, Sir?"_

"Yes, that would be excellent."

When Villen reached the hangar, the black helicopter was already sitting outside on the deck, the blades unfolded, ready for takeoff. Villen smiled at the sight. As he approached the vehicle, the side doors slid open, revealing a comfortable seat inside. As soon as Villen set his foot on board the chopper, a screen inside lit up, showing a sound wave pattern, as an excited voice came from the speaker.

"Master Hussar! How lovely to see you! And you have brought the lovely Vea with you as well!" The voice had a slightly robotic quality to it.

" _Ugh."_ Vea "grunted" almost causing Villen to burst out laughing.

The knight collected himself quickly. "Hello, Stribog. It is nice to see you as well."

"Thank you, Master Hussar! This is so exciting! What adventure are you going on today?"

Villen couldn't help but chuckle at the AIs antics. He always liked Stribog, it wasn't often an AI developed such an excitable personality. The knight walked up to a panel on the wall. He browsed through the database, finally finding what he was looking for he selected the destination.

"Stribog, if you would be so kind, take us there. Find a secluded area nearby to land and have a limousine waiting to pick me up."

The door slid closed and the blades started spinning. "It would be my pleasure, Sir!"

The helicopter took off gently. Villen pressed a few other buttons on the panel and the seat folded into the back wall of the crew cabin. It was replaced by a hanging garment bag, a small shelf with a few small boxes on it and a drawer underneath it and a diagonal shelf on the other side with a pair of black dress shoes on it. Villen opened the bag, revealing a white dress shirt and a pair of black suit trousers. He changed quickly, his coat turning into a suit jacket once again as he finished tying the shoes. He grabbed on of the boxes from the shelf and took out a pair of cufflinks. They were black, shaped like a feather. He used them to secure the cuffs of his shirt. From the drawer underneath he took out a tie. It wasn't too wide, black with a single, thin red line running down the middle. He walked over to the panel again, the tie in hand and pressed another button. The "wardrobe" compartment was replaced with a large mirror. The knight approached it placing the tie around his neck. He took his time tying his favourite trinity knot, making sure it was perfect. After he was satisfied with the result, he made sure the rest of his clothes were straight before turning to the panel on the wall once again and returning the seat to its previous position.

"I must say you look stunning, Sir! What's the occasion, if you don't mind me asking?" Stribog's voice was filled with curiosity.

"You will have to wait and see. Assuming it will even work. How long until we reach our destination?"

"At our current speed the journey will take approximately six hours twenty three minutes, Sir."

"Thank you, Stribog" Villen pressed a button on the armrest of the seat and a small table extended out of the floor. From the inside pocket of his jacket, Villen took out the holographic projector and placed it on the table. It lit up with schematics of Villen's newest project. The knight immediately begun working on it, as the helicopter soared through the air.

* * *

In front of a door to a small house on the outskirts of a suburbs area was standing a young woman. Her short, brown wavy hair, down to her neck was fluttering lightly in the slight wind. She was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a light grey shirt, its sleeves rolled up slightly. She was struggling to find her house keys in her purse, already panicking slightly at the prospect of losing them. Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she spotted some movement on the street. She raised her gaze and noticed a black, stretch hover limousine stopping in front of her house. She looked, stunned, as the chauffeur got out, walked around the car and opened the door. An older man emerged, his hair mostly gray, a short full beard on his face. He was wearing a black suit, with a white dress shirt underneath. As he got out of the car he looked at her and smiled, slowly making his way towards her.

"Doctor Ewa Czajka, I presume?" His calm voice was quite pleasant to hear.

"Yes. Can I help you?" She spoke confidently, quickly regaining her composure after the surprising arrival of this unusual visitor. She couldn't help but feel she has seen this man somewhere before.

"Yes, I do believe so." He smiled. "I am Henry's… boss." At the mention of the name her heart skipped a beat, her mind already racing with thoughts of what could have happened to him, for his boss to come to her home. "I wish to speak with you, will you join me for a drive?"

"Has- has something happened to Henry?" She asked, worry filling her voice.

The stranger smiled and shook his head. "No, Henry is perfectly fine. I just wish to talk." He gestured towards the car. "Will you join me, Doctor Czajka?"

She regarded the man slowly. He claimed to be Henry's boss but what proof did he show of that. Not that she even knew that much about who Henry worked for. "Can I-" She paused. "Can I see some confirmation of who you are? No offense but I'm not to keen on hopping into a stranger's car."

The man laughed. "Of course, that is a very wise policy." He reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a wallet. He browsed through it quickly and frowned. He took out an ID card and reached his hand out with it. "Will this do?"

She grabbed the card and the man went back to browsing through his wallet, clearly looking for something else. Ewa looked down onto the card he passed her and her eyes immediately went wide as she remembered how she knew him. "You are Casimir Sterna?"

"Ah, yes I suppose I am." The man looked up from his wallet and smiled.

Ewa took a few steps towards him and extended her hand, which the man quickly shook. "It is an honor to meet you. I'm sorry I didn't recognise you sooner. I wanted to thank you for the support you have been giving the university." The excitement in her voice made the man smile.

"Whatever is necessary to educate the future generations." He stated calmly.

She regarded the man once again and thought for a moment. "It is interesting that Henry never mentioned working for you." She spoke a bit quieter, handing him back his ID.

The man chuckled taking the card from her. "No I suppose he would not. As far as I am aware he has not spoken much about our work together. That is what I wanted to speak to you about, Doctor."

She looked towards the car. She was conflicted about this. Her insatiable curiosity took the upper hand however. "Very well, I will join you."

The man smiled once again. "Excellent."

They walked to the car, the chauffeur opening the door for her. The man walked entered from the other side of the car, sitting beside her. As soon as the limousine started moving he spoke up.

"Henry obviously trusts you a lot, Doctor. Otherwise he would not ask me, to allow him to tell you details of our operations." His voice was calm, yet almost emanated warmth towards her.

"He did not tell me much. I assume you didn't agree?"

"On the contrary. I am happy Henry managed to find someone he cares for this much." His words made her blush slightly. "He was however living surrounded by secrets his entire life, and sharing them is difficult for him. Especially since, as he said, they are not his secrets to give."

Ewa nodded slowly. "Yes he mentioned it before. He is always worried his secrets upset me." She smiled at the thought.

"And are you?" The man studied her curiously.

Ewa wasn't sure how to respond to the man. He was Henry's boss after all. Should she even be going into detail of their relationship? But something about the way the man spoke about Henry betrayed that he treated him more like a friend than an employee.

"Not really. I mean, I would like to know more about him, but I understand why he can't tell me. There is no reason to be upset at him, it's not like it's his fault."

The man smiled. "Indeed. As I would not like to stay in your way, I decided to put my trust in you as well, Doctor. Perhaps if I fill you in on what Henry and myself actually do, it will give him the needed push to finally open up to someone."

Ewa looked up at him surprised. "You will fill me in? Just based on Henry's opinion of me?"

The man nodded. "Of course. Henry is my long time friend, not to mention he is my right hand man, basically running this entire operation." Ewa's eyes opened even wider causing the man to chuckle slightly. Then his face turned more serious. "I hope you understand that what I am about to tell you is to be kept secret from everyone outside of my organisation. Are you sure you are ready to bear this burden?"

Ewa nodded. She was determined. "I am."


	15. Griffin in flight

**Author's note:**

 **First of all, I'd like to once again apologise for the delay this chapter comes with.  
I didn't have much time to write this past two weeks with my schedule getting tighter, not to mention being constantly tired, which didn't really help and also once again experiencing some writer's block.  
I have some ideas for the future of this story, maybe not as much for the next chapter but definitely for the one (or one's) after it. Well I guess that depends on how the next chapter will go too, so…  
I'm rambling again, so let me just say that I completely intend to continue this story as, even though I have encountered some difficulty, I am really enjoying writing it. I hope the next chapter will come without the delay, but I cannot promise anything.  
I just hope you are still enjoying the story!**

* * *

"That's… that's a lot to take in…" Ewa said, as Villen finished outlining the basics of his operation.

The man chuckled. "Yes, I suppose it would be."

"Soo… Let me get this straight." She started, feeling the need to confirm that she didn't misheard anything. "You are a head of some massive, private, secret organisation with influence all around the world."

"That is one way to put it, yes." Villen smiled.

"And while you are out running around fighting bad guys, Henry is pretty much running the whole operation."

"He is truly invaluable." The smile didn't leave Villen's face. Even though the confusion in the woman was completely understandable, he couldn't help but be amused by the reaction.

"And you have somehow managed to stay hidden from the world's governments."

"It was not easy, but yes."

"Even though your alter ego is a billionaire, owner of the biggest security system manufacturers."

"That is actually a very good cover. An eccentric, obsessed with security and privacy, making it extremely difficult to be tracked down by reporters, to the point that most gave up a long time ago. Not to mention the kind of influence it provides in itself."

"Riight." She gave Villen a long look. Just as she was about to say something, she felt the limousine come to a halt, causing her to look through the side window. They were in some sort of clearing in the woods. When did they even left the city? Ewa realised she must have been too absorbed in what Villen has been telling her to even notice. When she turned to face him again, he was no longer in the car beside her, and the door was open. Suddenly the door to her side opened, causing her to turn that way, slightly startled. Villen was standing there, offering her his hand, to help her get out of the car. She looked the man over, and reluctantly took his hand. After she stood up she looked around, noticing a black helicopter sitting in the clearing, off to the other side of the car. She frowned and looked over at the knight beside her. "What's all this?"

"That is my transport, Doctor. I am quite busy at the moment, and have to return to my duties. But seeing as you are here I have a proposition for you." He smiled.

"A proposition?" She asked, confusion painted on her face.

"Well, I thought that maybe you would appreciate a chance to meet up with Henry. If you wish you can come with me to see him."

Ewa couldn't help but smile widely, which in turn made her blush, mentally scolding herself for behaving like an overeager teenager. This made the man in front of her chuckle. Ewa quirked her eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"Your reaction reminded me of Henry. You really do have a lot in common." Villen's smile widened as Ewa's blush grew just a bit more red. "So what do you say? Just to warn you, it is an over six hour flight."

This made Ewa frown and lower her gaze. "I'd love to go, but… what about my work? I can't just leave my team alone…"

"I can have an adequate replacement found. If you wish."

She looked up at him and considered his words for a few moments. Then a smile reappeared on her face. "What are we waiting for then?"

* * *

Henry was standing on the deck outside the hangar, his short brown hair fluttering slightly in the light breeze. He was looking up at the night's sky, his gaze moving between the stars. A sudden, distinct whoosh and a flash of blue light tore him away from his thoughts. He turned to see Tracer standing next to him, arms on her hips, looking up to where he was looking just a moment ago. "What're you looking at, love?" She asked cheerily.

"I am awaiting the arrival of the Griffin, Miss Oxton." He stated calmly, the woman's cheery attitude bringing a smile to his face.

"Griffin? What's that?" She looked over at him curiously.

"Well, uh…" He paused for a moment, considering how much he was willing to reveal. "It's a special aircraft Master Villen requested to be brought here."

Tracer's eyes lit up. "An aircraft? What kind?"

"It's… hard to describe. To be honest I'm not even exactly sure if I know. It's an experimental design." Henry scratched the back of his head.

"Wait." Tracer flashed him a grin. "You don't know something?"

"Very funny, Miss Oxton." Henry smiled.

Lena giggled. A few moments later she spoke again. "You know when Villen's coming back?"

Henry shook his head. "I have no idea. Shouldn't be long though he reported leaving for hours not days."

"Where did he go?"

"I have no idea." Henry stated calmly.

Tracer eyed him curiously. "Really?"

"Really. He does this sometimes. Gets some… unusual idea and just sets off." Henry smirked, recalling other times Villen rushed off god knows where.

Tracer opened her mouth to say something but then a gust of wind hit them, getting slightly stronger. They heard the chopper's blades slicing through the air and then the vehicle itself lowered down into the light of the deck. It landed gently on the deck, the blades quickly coming to a stop. The side door opened, and after a moment Villen emerged. Noticing them he smiled and then turned around, his hand extending towards the inside of the helicopter. Soon after a woman emerged as well. Tracer narrowed her eyes. Thought's started buzzing around in her brains. Who is this woman? Could she be Villen's love interest? No, she can't be she's too young, right? She was barely able to contain her curiosity, stopping herself from just rushing forward and unleashing a barrage of questions on the knight.

Villen gestured for the woman to go forward, the knight himself following closely behind. Then Lena noticed the expression on her face. Her eyes seemed filled with joy, but she tried to hide it somewhat with a more seductive look and smirk. Lena noticed it was directed at the man beside her. She looked over at Henry and almost burst out laughing, noticing the man was completely stunned, his wide opened eyes fixated on the approaching woman. As they approached she heard the woman speak, although she couldn't understand her, she wasn't speaking English.

"Darling, why didn't you mention you were such a hero?" She walked over to Henry placing her hands over his shoulders and drawing in close to him. The smirk stayed on her face as Henry had trouble collecting himself.

"A- a hero?" He managed to stammer out, lost in her eyes.

"Yes, darling." He drew slightly closer, so that her lips were next to his ear. Her voice turned into a whisper. "You should have told me sooner. Don't you now I love a hero?"

Tracer took a few steps back as she saw the scene unfold. Even though she couldn't understand a word they were saying, the body language made it at least somewhat clear. She felt a hand on her shoulder and when she turned to look she noticed Villen looking down at her, smiling. She flashed him a grin.

"Oh, do you?" Henry said. Having collected himself from the surprise at her unexpected arrival, he now returned the look she was giving him. Their faces were close, their gazes moving between each other's mouths and eyes. "And what are you going to do, now that you know?" He smirked. In response she just moved closer and kissed him passionately. A kiss which he returned, in kind.

Tracer's eyes widened and her mouth flew open. She inhaled sharply, a wide grin forming on her face. And then a hand blocked her view. She heard Villen chuckle. She playfully swatted the hand away and giggled. "Hey, don't ruin my fun!"

"Sorry, Lena. I could not help myself."

Their giggling drew the attention of the couple, who suddenly remembered they were not alone. They separated, their faces blushed. Henry cleared his throat as they approached. "Miss Tracer, I'd like to introduce Ewa Czajka, she's-"

"Oh, I saw." Tracer interrupted him, giggling as the pair turned slightly more red. She extended her hand towards the woman. "A pleasure to meet you, love. The name's Lena Oxton, or Tracer if you prefer."

Ewa shook Tracer's hand. "The pleasure is mine, I assure you. It is amazing to meet you in person."

Lena let out a small giggle and smiled, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"I did not expect to see you outside Henry." Villen looked over at the other man.

"My Lord, I was awaiting the arrival of the Griffin. It should be here in a few minutes." Henry bowed his head slightly.

"Alright, I will take over for you. You two love birds go and catch up." Villen smirked and gave them both a quick wink, causing them to blush slightly and Tracer to giggle.

"Thank you, My Lord." Henry bowed. Ewa nodded and the pair moved towards the inside. The helicopter started rolling into the hangar as well, making room for the new arrival.

"How was your day, Lena?" Villen turned to the british woman, a smile on his face.

"Pretty good, love. The base is quite busy now. Loads of people to talk to." She looked over to the starry sky, squinting slightly. "That Griffin thing, Henry couldn't explain to me what it is."

Villen chuckled. "I am not surprised. It is a prototype, highly experimental. Sometimes I feel like I do not exactly know how it works, and I designed it."

Tracer giggled. "Must be an impressive piece of kit then, love."

"It is. Right now it is a pinnacle of my technological achievements."

They were interrupted by a low rumble of engines. The Griffin emerged from the shadows landing gently on the deck. Lena marveled at the aircraft. In the base of each of its forward swept wings was a multi-directional thruster. The two canards either side the cockpit fluttered slightly on landing, controlling the aircraft's descent. The wings themselves seemed able to quickly adjust to the conditions, keeping it steady. The landing gear slid out of the plane's belly, the wheels touching down on the concrete.

"Do you want to try it out?" Villen looked over at Lena, smirking.

Tracer's eyes went wide. "Can I?" The excitement that started building up in her was almost visible.

The knight chuckled. "Why not?" He approached the aircraft. "Stribog switch the Griffin to tandem-seat mode."

Lena watched in awe as the canopy got longer and the rest of the aircraft shifting slightly as well, growing slightly larger.

"Lower the seats." The underside of the cockpit opened and two pilot seats lowered. Lena wondered how they were going to get in, since the landing gear held the aircraft pretty high up in the air and now she got the answer. Villen gestured to the front seat. "Do you want to do the honors?"

Tracer blinked into the seat, getting herself comfortable and buckling the seat belt. Villen sat in the seat behind her and the pair got elevated upwards into the cockpit.

The displays inside lit up, and Lena was greeted by a beam of blue light moving across her face and torso.

"Identity confirmed as: Lena Oxton, codename: Tracer. Access denied." A cold, robotic voice stated as the beam finished its pass.

"Override." Villen said from the back seat. "Be nice Stribog, my friend Lena would like to take the Griffin for a spin."

"Oooh." The voice shifted into a much more excited form. "Welcome aboard friend Lena. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Tracer giggled. "Hello there, love."

"Love? She called me love, did you hear that Master Hussar?" The excitement in the AI's voice only seemed to intensify. Lena giggled, a wide grin on her face.

Villen chuckled. "Yes, Stribog I did. But could you please focus?"

"Of course, Master Hussar. Starting pre-flight checks. Initiating startup sequence."

The jet started rumbling quietly as the engines started to come online. Various notifications appeared on the displays. The canopy lit up with a holographic HUD. Tracer looked around in wonder, reading the displays, getting herself familiarized with the plane.

"The Griffin is ready for flight." Stribog said. "This is much more exciting than the Jackdaw Master Hussar."

Villen chuckled. "Yes, it is. Alright Lena, whenever you are ready."

Tracer grabbed the control stick in front of her. She gently increased the throttle and the aircraft lifted seamlessly off the ground and hovered a few meters above the deck. Lena spun the plane around to face the sea.

"Alright, Lena, now on the panel you see on your right, you can switch the plane from hover to flight mode."

Tracer looked over at the panel next to her and pressed the appropriate button. She could feel the plane shift slightly below her and then they were soaring through the air. She noticed feeling only a slight jolt of acceleration at the start and now nothing.

"Inertial dampening. Officially it is still in very early stages of development but I managed to get my hands on a prototype. Works rather well with the exception of a slight delay after sudden manoeuvers. Still, it never reaches dangerous levels in the Griffin. So feel free to do whatever, this beauty can take it."

Tracer grinned at that, grabbing the throttle and increasing it. She held the control stick tightly. She then tilted it to the right roughly, sending the aircraft rolling. After a few rolls she easily straightened out their flight, only to pull back hard on the control stick. The speed with which the aircraft looped, almost in place surprised her slightly and only after the second loop she recovered. She cheered and began giggling. It quickly turned into a routine. She would pull of a manoeuvre, cheer and continue laughing, enjoying the flying immensely. Stribog was also incredibly happy, his slightly robotic cheers accompanying Lena's.

"It's been too long since I flew something this fast!" She said excitedly, as the aircraft was climbing vertically up to higher altitude. "Let's see what this baby can really do!" After she reached the desired height, Lena cut the engines and let the aircraft fall into a flat spin, descending rapidly towards the sea below. Villen just smirked in the back seat. After they dropped, to what Lena deemed low enough, she pressed the button on the side panel, turning the Griffin back into the hover mode. She ignited the engines again, and after a few seconds, the aircraft stopped spinning and the descent was stopped completely. Tracer then turned it back into flight mode and they soared off into the distance.

* * *

As soon as the seats lowered to the ground Lena unbuckled the seat belt and blinked out of the seat, giving a loud cheer and jumping up in the air. Villen chuckled as he got up from his seat. "Lena, you will wake everyone."

"Whoops." She giggled blinking over to him as he made his way towards the hangar, the aircraft slowly wheeling in behind him. "Sorry, love, couldn't help myself. That was just so much fun!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Can I fly it again sometime?" The pleading look she gave him caused Villen to let out a laugh.

"Of course, Lena. I am sure we will find the time for that."

"Yay!" She jumped again and then blinked into a hug with the knight, causing him to stumble back in surprise. "You're the best."

He patted Tracer's back. "I am glad to hear you say so, Lena."

Suddenly Lena inhaled sharply and pulled away. "Oh no I totally forgot!"

Villen raised his eyebrow as he looked at her. "About what?"

"I was supposed to tell you that Ang had some questions for you, and wanted you to visit her in the lab!"

"I will stop by to check if she is still there. If not I will just speak with her tomorrow." Villen smiled.

"Alrighty! I'm sure she'll appreciate that. And if you're lucky she will still be there. It's a weird thing you know, she always tells people to rest and stuff, but never seems to take her own advice in the matter. I wish I could sometimes just 'Doctor's orders' her." She giggled.

"Yes." Villen chuckled. "I found that's quite common with doctors."

After a few more minutes of walking they parted ways as Lena moved towards the living area, yawning, and Villen turned towards the medlab. He strode through the Watchpoint quickly, meeting a patrolling soldier on his way, giving him a quick salute. Soon he reached the medlab door and entered. The light was on, which was a good sign.

"Lady Ang-" Villen stopped himself when he noticed the woman. She was leaned back in her chair, her eyes closed and breathing steady. It was obvious that she was asleep. Villen approached her quietly. He noticed how peaceful she looked. How beautiful she looked. Villen caught himself staring at her face and shook his head, getting back to reality. As much as he didn't want to wake the woman, he knew that she would probably appreciate that, not to mention sleeping in this position would probably give her cramps in the morning. "Lady Angela." He said quietly, moving slightly closer. "Lady Angela." He raised his voice slightly and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a slight shake. The woman stirred slightly in her sleep but didn't wake up. Then a thought crossed Villen's mind and he decided to act upon it. He gently scooped Mercy into his arms and left the lab.

He kept a quick, but steady and silent pace, trying his best not to shake the woman to much as he made his way towards the living area. Angela stirred in his arms a couple of times but remained asleep. Soon after they reached the door to her quarters.

"Athena." Villen whispered. "Could you be so kind and open the door?"

There was a moment of silence and then the door to Angela's room slid open. The lights inside lit up as well. Villen made his way into the bedroom quickly, the bedside lamp lighting his way as he gently set Angela down on the bed. He turned the light off and exited the bedroom. As he was making his way through the living room, he thought he heard Angela speak. He turned, but she wasn't out of the bedroom. He waited a few moments and heard a faint "Nooo." Villen returned to the bedroom and in the light seeping through the open door from the living room he could see Angela turning in the bed. "No, please." escaped her mouth, slightly louder.

Villen made his way to the bed."Lady Angela, it is just a dream."He said, placing his hands on the woman's shoulders and shaking her more firmly. It didn't help as the woman tossed and turned again, repeating her plea. "Wake up." He said a bit louder, and repeated the shake.

This time it worked, Angela's eyes flew open and he inhaled sharply. She sat up and looked around in a daze and her eyes landed on Villen, who sat down on the bed next to her and turned the bedside lamp back on. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "Just a dream." He said calmly, a warm smile forming on his face.

Angela sighed and let her head drop. As all the senses started coming back to her she realized she was in her bedroom. She looked around and then at the knight beside her. "How did I get here? I remember working in the lab."

Villen looked embarrassed as he scratched his neck and looked. "Well, uh… Lena told me you wished to speak to me, so I came over and found you asleep in the lab. After I failed to wake you, I thought you would appreciate not sleeping in a chair so… I carried you here." He blushed slightly and looked back at Mercy. "I apologize if it was to bold of me."

It was Angela's turn to blush. "N-no it's alright. I'd probably be cursing myself in the morning for falling asleep in the lab." She smiled weakly.

"Ah, well I am glad I could spare you that, then." Villen returned the smile.

They fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments. Angela was processing the situation, slowly calming herself. Villen was staring at the bedside table, deep in thought.

"I have a question for you." Angela looked over at the knight, her voice bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Yes?" He turned to look at the woman.

"You seem to have all of this information at your disposal. Yet you didn't recognise any Overwatch members when you first came here."

Villen nodded. "Overwatch… never particularly interested me. I have read some reports, heard about some of the members and their accomplishments. But I never needed to know more. I found myself lacking time to learn about everything I wanted, so I just focused on what was the most necessary. And since Overwatch never really established much of a presence in my area asz due to the fact there are not that many big population centers for the omnics to target, and because my agents and myself kept peace there, there was really no need for them." He sighed. "Not to mention the information I was getting, did not paint the prettiest of pictures about it. I received reports about the corruption within the organization, the amoral dealing of Blackwatch. At the time I found myself unwilling to risk my own operations in order to try and fix Overwatch. Perhaps I should have tried."

"I didn't want to believe it." Angela said quietly. "I was surrounded by so many wonderful people, I couldn't see how any of them could have been corrupt."

"And perhaps they were not." Villen smiled weakly. "With the exception of Blackwatch, as far as I know most of the agents were good people. Most of the workers were good people. But Overwatch had a lot of power, and power always draws in evil."

"Maybe we are making a mistake." Mercy said weakly, looking off into the distance. "Maybe bringing Overwatch back is not such a good idea. What guarantee is there, it won't just end the same way?"

"There is none." Villen looked up at the woman, looking into her eyes as she too turned to face him. "But the world needs and will need you. There is no honor in standing idly by, watching the world crumble. It brings nothing but regret. So we will all fight, to change the world for the better. Perhaps we will fail. Perhaps the world will get tired of us, and force us to step away. And perhaps the principles we are trying to uphold will be destroyed, or worse we will turn away from them. The future is a great unknown, one that is dark, shrouded in fear." Determination was clearly audible in the knight's voice. He placed his hand once again on her shoulder. "But we have to have hope. Hope that will light our way through the darkness and uncertainty of the times to come. We will trip over in the shadows. Sometimes we will fall so hard and unexpectedly that it will be difficult to get up. But you and I have both faced such a thing and got up to carry on, if not for ourselves then for others." He looked down for a moment and sighed, then raised his head back up. "I still feel that great fall, feel as though something is dragging me back to it, slowing my advance."

"Yes, I know that feeling. Sometimes the pull is so strong, it's hard to resist just allowing it to take you…"

"Indeed." Villen nodded slowly. "But a dream I had last night made me realize something. I am tired of the constant drag on my mind. It is way past the time to break it. Before it is too late. No matter how many times I have tried and failed to do that. I have to keep trying to break free of it."

"You're right. Nothing good comes of it anyway. But how do we break free?" Angela seemed rather determined, herself. Villen assumed that in many ways their situations were similar. He could imagine the good doctor, just like himself, not wanting to burden others with her problems.

"'We' is exactly how, Lady Angela." He sighed. "I am not very good at sharing my problems with people, but I think there is no way of going through such things alone. And I have tried for many years. But thankfully there are friends I can count on for support." He extended his hand to Mercy. "And if you wish, I can help you as well."

Angela looked down at the hand and then up into the knight's eyes. A small smile formed on her face as she grasped his hand. "Only if you allow me to help you as well."

Villen returned the smile. "You have helped me very much already, Lady Angela. I appreciate it."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, thinking over what was said. Suddenly Angela let out a big yawn, covering her mouth with a palm of her hand. "Oh, pardon me."

Villen smiled. "No, Lady Angela, you should rest, we can talk more in the morning. Besides, Lena told me you overwork yourself." Seeing the woman from slightly, he chuckled. "So how about you get some sleep, Lady Angela. Doctor's orders." He got up from the bed.

Angela frowned and looked at him. "You're not a doctor, Villen."

The knight smiled and winked quickly. "Can you be sure?"

Mercy smiled, as Villen moved towards the bedroom door.

"Goodnight, Lady Angela."

"Goodnight, Villen."


	16. Robotic arm

**Author's note:**

 **Here I am with another chapter, late again. Not really much I can do about it unfortunately.  
Thank you to Warmachine 375 for your review. I'm glad you are enjoying the story! You've raised quite a lot of points in the review, many of which I am not willing to address just yet, as some if not most of them will be coming up in future chapters, and some I am still unsure how I will handle. There are a few thing I would like to address however, as I wanted to for some time, and yet it always skipped my mind somehow when it came to publishing a chapter.  
One such thing is the fact that I won't be able to keep to the canon completely (well besides the obvious) as more shorts and comics keep coming out. One such comic is the "Old Soldiers". It came out after I started writing and as I decided in my story that identities of both 76 and Reaper are unknown both to others and each other, the events described in the comic didn't happen.  
Another thing is the character of Ana. Don't worry, I want to put her in the story, I'm just not sure yet whether anyone (including Pharah) knows she is still alive. I suppose I will see where the story takes me.**

 **I hope you will enjoy this chapter and I hope that I will get the next one a bit sooner, but I can't promise anything.  
Have a pleasant read!**

* * *

The doors to the workshop slid open with an audible swoosh that ripped Villen out of his thoughts. He had been working all night. This always helped him relax, but tonight he found it difficult to concentrate on the work, often pausing for a long time as he stared blankly into the wall, thinking. Because of that progress was slower than usual, but still moving forward mostly thanks to Vea.

The knight turned to see Tracer stomping over to him, crossing the workshop quickly. From the distance she looked angry, which worried Villen, but as she neared, he noticed the corners of her mouth twitching upwards slightly, as if she was desperately trying to hold back a smile. She stopped in front of the knight and scowled at him.

"How could you?" She asked, and even though she tried to make herself sound angry, Villen could definitely hear her usual cheery voice barely hidden by it.

"I am not sure I know what you mean." Villen stated calmly, although he, too put on a facade of believing something terrible happened.

"Oh you know exactly what you did." Tracer pointed at him and the corners of her mouth twitched upwards again. "You stole my idea!"

Villen scratched his beard. Then an epiphany struck him, but he decided to play along. "Stole your idea? Which one?"

"You 'Doctor's orders'ed Angela!" She poked his chest with her finger.

Villen opened his eyes wide in mock realisation. "Oh dear, I suppose I have! I saw the opportunity and took it, not thinking of the consequences." He bowed deeply. "Can you ever forgive me, Lena?" He looked up at her with pleading eyes.

Tracer didn't resist the sight and burst out laughing, Villen not holding much longer as well.

"I wish I could have seen her face!" She said in between giggles. She raised her hand into a high five. Villen looked at the raised hand. "What, love, never high fived anyone?" She asked with a cheeky grin on her face.

Villen slammed his hand into Tracer's. "I have. It just has been some time."

They laughed a moment longer, and then they heard footsteps in the corridor and pants as the door opened. In came Angela leaning on the doorframe for support as she took a few deep breaths. After she caught her breath she pushed off the doorframe and approached them. When she looked at Villen she paused for a moment. She noticed the suit he was wearing before, but didn't get a proper look at it. She caught herself staring and shook her head lightly, collecting her thoughts. She turned her attention to Tracer, who was now looking at her with a wide grin. "Lena! You know I can't keep up with you."

"I know, love, but you didn't miss much. I was just telling Villen here, how angry I was that-" She stopped mid sentence after receiving a glare from Angela. Lena threw her hands over her mouth and opened her eyes wide in realization.

Mercy turned to Villen and opened her mouth to speak, but the knight raised his hand to stop her. "I think I know what you are about to say, Lady Angela. And it is alright. I assumed you would share with Lena."

"You did?" The two women asked simultaneously.

Villen chuckled. "Yes, it is quite obvious you two are friends. It is no surprise friends will share such things between each other." He smiled.

The two women looked at each other and let out sighs of relief. Villen chuckled at their reaction and turned to clean up the workbench beside him.

Angela looked at the table filled with various parts and furrowed her brow. "Have you been in here all night?"

Villen took out a datapad from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. He looked at it briefly. "Well yes, I suppose I have."

Mercy crossed her arms across her chest. "And you were telling me to get some rest?" She smirked.

"I do not need much sleep, Lady Angela." Villen smiled. "Perks of having trillions of nanobots in my body, I suppose." He gave the woman a wink, which caused Mercy's cheeks to grow just a bit more red.

Tracer giggled. "Since you were here all night, love, how about you grab some food with us? We were on the way to the mess anyway!"

"I would love to, Lena, thank you. Let me just clean up here a bit." He turned to the workbench again, moving parts quickly, and setting a few objects aside.

"What were you working on?" Angela asked, both her and Tracer moving closer and looking curiously over the items on the table. Mercy's attention focused on the objects Villen was putting aside. They all looked pretty similar, the size of a credit card, only thicker, with various small components sticking out at the top forming different patterns. There were five of them.

"Upgrade modules for my armor. I hope all of them will work well." Villen stated, moving on to clean up the rest of the parts from the workbench.

"You're saying that you casually made upgrades for your armor in just one night?" Tracer looked at him, wide-eyed.

Villen laughed. "No, Lena. They have been months in planning. I have just put them together, which was really fast, thanks to the new equipment and parts."

"So what do they do?" The Brit asked curiously.

The knight turned to her, smirking. "That is a surprise."

"Oh come on!" Lena exclaimed, causing both Villen and Angela to chuckle. "How about just one?"

"Not this time, Lena." Villen smiled. "I do however…" He reached up on one of the shelves, grabbing one of the big cylinders standing on top of it. "Have something for you." He walked over to the woman. "This is one of my standard test cylinders. If you place it in your room it will gather data on exposure to the chronal field. Like I mentioned before, it will help me determine whether or not the field is harmful to others."

Lena took the device from Villen. "And I just place it wherever?"

"Well, within the confines of your quarters." Villen smiled at the look he received from Lena. "Yes, Lena, wherever in your quarters will be fine, although preferably somewhere out in the open, less interference that way."

"Alright, love!" Lena blinked away from them. "I'll just go and put it in my room, I'll meet you two in the mess!" She shouted speeding down the corridor.

The pair left in the room laughed. Villen grabbed the upgrade modules from the workbench and placed them one after another in his jacket's inside pocket. Then he gestured towards the door. "Shall we? We should hurry, knowing Lena, she will probably beat us there."

"You're probably, right." Angela chuckled. "Let's go then."

* * *

Throughout the meal and the conversation that followed, Villen noticed Lena's eyes following his robotic arm. He watched in amusement as curiosity grew in her as time went on. Angela and Villen have just finished talking about some of the properties of his nanites, when the knight decided to save Tracer the trouble.

He turned his head to the woman. "Feel free to ask me, Lena." He smiled. Angela looked over at her and then at Villen, quirking her eyebrow in confusion.

Lena looked at him wide-eyed, as if being caught red-handed. "Ask you?"

"You want to know how I lost my arm, do you not?"

"Yeah…" She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I didn't know if it was appropriate to ask…"

Villen chuckled. "I do not mind. Actually it was a… 'gift' from one of our mutual acquaintances."

He knew immediately that he captured the attention of both the women. Angela spoke up first. "Who?"

"Widowmaker." Villen stated, his mood visibly dropping at the thought of the assassin. "Talon tried to set another one of their traps for me, but that time they had an ace up their sleeve. I did not expect such a good sniper. Still, a sniper was expected so all she managed to hit was my arm. It seems they really wanted me dead because the bullet contained a particularly unpleasant poison. My nanites at the time were not that good at dealing with poisons so I had to use them to cut of the bloodflow to the arm. By the time I got to a medical facility all it was good for was amputation." He lifted up the robotic arm and examined it. "But I am not complaining, this one is pretty much better." He smiled.

"So they sent Widowmaker to kill you too?" Tracer said quietly, lowering her gaze. Angela looked at her and sighed.

"That was the first time, but it was not the last. I do not find it surprising that Talon want to make best use of their most skilled assassin. Although I have to say she is… difficult to fight."

"What do you mean?" Tracer looked up at him. Was that hope he saw in her eyes?

Villen sighed. "She is a formidable opponent, incredibly skilled. But… whenever I cause her to fail her mission I suspect the welcome she gets back at Talon is not an especially warm one. I feel she has suffered enough at their hands, but there is little ways I have of helping her. Especially this weapon they turned her into, who does not want to be helped."

"So you know." Lena said. "You know she is… was Amélie. Can she be helped? Can what they've done to her be reversed?" Her voice was filled with desperation, which Villen found odd.

"Honestly, I do not know. I have had people working on it for some time, but without her and the knowledge of the process, the progress is pretty much stopped."

"So if you caught her, you could reverse it?"

"I do not know. I am hopeful that is the case but it is difficult. Not to mention it would probably be extremely hard for her to live with what Talon made her do if she ever recovered."

"Oh." Tracer slumped. "I- I didn't think of that."

Angela brought her arm around the woman. "She is dangerous, Lena. I know you would very much like to help her, and you know I would too. But I don't want to lose you too." She said calmly.

"You won't. But I have to help her! I think… I think I'm slowly getting through to her."

Angela sighed. "I just hope you're right. Every time you run off alone after her-"

"I know Angela." Tracer became more agitated with every moment. She stood up. "You've told me that already. But I can't just sit by and watch her be used as a weapon, now can I? She was my friend, Angela, our friend. I don't know how-"

"Lena." Villen said calmly, but loudly enough to bring the woman's attention to him, standing up as well. "You know there is no need to get upset, we all would love to bring Amélie back. If you believe you are getting through to her, that is great. Just remember that progress might be slower that you would hope, and it might even not get anywhere." He smiled as he finished speaking, gesturing back at Lena's seat.

"You're right." Lena let out a heavy sigh and slumped down onto the chair. "I'm sorry, Ang. I know you just care about me."

Mercy just smiled and hugged the other woman tightly. "It's alright Lena, I know this means a lot to you. And if there is a way to save her, we will find it."

* * *

After some time the conversation started to pick up again. Mercy was interested in ways that Villen's nanobots combated poisons. Tracer's mood started lightening as she started to interject with questions and comments. They stayed on the topic for quite some time, both women finding more and more questions to ask.

Finally after considerable time has passed, they seemed satisfied with the answers, but another question popped into Lena's head. "Those gizmos are really impressive, love. I'm wondering if with all the stuff they can do, could they make you live forever?"

Villen thought for a moment. "You know, I did not consider this before. Never really saw the appeal of immortality."

"You didn't? Why?"

"I think there are many factors. I think that I would have slowed down, lost the motivation if I knew I have all that time to do things. Maybe the thought of premature death would become even more terrifying. Maybe I would have lost a part of humanity that is connected to death. This is quite a philosophical question you posed, Lena. Although…" He sighed. "I think the most important reason why I never reached for that is… that I did not want to live with the pain for eternity. The nanites will extend my life to a degree already, so I guess I still have time to decide. Although I do not think they are quite as potent at this point." He smiled.

"You've raised some interesting points Villen. You have quite an extraordinary outlook on life." Angela said as she pondered the knight's words.

"I just go with what I think makes sense." Villen shrugged.

Their attention was drawn to Soldier:76, who just entered the mess hall. His red visor lingered on them for a couple seconds and then he headed into the kitchen. He returned swiftly with a packet of rations and made his way out of the room.

Villen leaned back in his chair and stroked his beard. "Quite an interesting character. He still does not seem to trust me."

"I don't think he trusts many people, love. So don't worry about it." Lena smiled.

"You know, I actually wondered about it. From what I have read about him, I would not expect him to be a part of the reforming Overwatch. A vigilante, and known for hitting old Overwatch facilities as well."

"Yes, he himself wasn't very keen on joining neither." Angela said. "We've met him on one of the missions we run, to recover some equipment from one of the old black sites. He helped us against a Talon ambush. By the way he knew his way around the place I thought he was a former member, but we don't have his dna in the database… Anyway, he was capable, trained, and we needed everyone we could. So Reinhardt, Winston and I managed to convince him to join us. He finally saw the benefits, and I suppose believed us that we would do anything in our power to make sure that, this time, Overwatch will be what it was supposed to be."

"Do you know who he is, love?" Lena asked curiously. "He never takes off the mask, and I'm really curious."

Villen laughed. "No, Lena, I made sure that part was omitted from the report I got. And even if I knew, I would not tell even you. It is not my place to share another's secrets. It is his choice to hide his identity hidden, and I choose to believe he has a good reason for it."

"Wait, so you have access to who he is?" Tracer asked.

Villen chuckled. "I can check if you want." After seeing the woman nod vigorously he smiled. "Vea, do we have data regarding Soldier:76's identity?"

" _Yes we do, Sir."_

"I do." Villen just smiled at Tracer, and looked over at Angela, who looked rather amused by the situation.

Lena groaned. "How do you do this!" She threw her arms in the air. "How can you have this information in reach and not look at it?!"

Villen chuckled once again. "I plan for the worst, Lena. If I do not know a secret, I cannot give it away even if I wanted too. I will admit, it is tempting to read but I just choose to focus on other things."

"What's more interesting…" Angela interjected. "is how you get all of that information?" A sly smile formed on her face.

"It is interesting, is it not?" Villen returned the smile. He looked over at the mess hall clock. "But alas, that is a topic for another conversation. The day is getting on and there is work to be done." He stood up slowly. "It has been lovely talking to you, Ladies, but if you excuse me I have family business to attend to."

Tracer giggled and Angela gave him a knowing smile. "Of course, Villen. It was a pleasure talking to you as well."

The knight bowed. "Feel free to contact me if you need anything." He gave them a last smile and marched off towards the living quarters.

* * *

Villen was sitting in his room, reclined in his armchair, a holographic display hovering in front of him. He was reading through a variety of reports and dispatching orders. A sudden chirp signaled there is someone at the door.

"Come in, please!"

He could hear the door open and close soon after. A moment later Henry appeared in the living room. Villen disabled the display and stood up. "Ah, Henry, how can I help you."

"M-my Lord, I've heard you took on some of the organisational work." He seemed unsure, a state Villen rarely saw Henry in.

"Yes, I will be staying here until Captain Tirel arrives, I figured I may make myself more useful to the house." Seeing Henry open his mouth to speak, Villen raised his hand. "And I thought I would take some of the burden off you at least for some time, especially seeing you have more important things to commit your time to now." He smiled approaching the man and putting his arm around him. "Now come, sit down. I doubt the reports are the only reason you are here."

The two men sat down in the armchairs. "You are right, My Lord. I came more to thank you… for that push forward. I really needed it."

"Do not mention it, Henry. It seemed only fair to rid you of the burden of having to share my own secrets." Villen gave the man a warm smile. "What I am more interested in, is how you are going to proceed." The smile turned into a sly smirk. "I presume you will be taking Ewa to the Nest?"

Henry's cheeks flushed with red. "I hope so, My Lord. I was going to ask her later today if she would be willing to go. And..." Henry stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath. "And there is another thing I wanted to ask her…"

Villen smiled knowingly. "Why did you not?"

"Honestly, My Lord, I'm scared. Terrified. What if she says no? Not to mention I can't find a ring that would be… suitable." His voice was weaker and quieter.

"I do not think she will say no, Henry. I have witnessed first hand the way she talks about you, and there is no doubt in my mind that she loves you very much. Take her to the Nest, there you will have ample opportunities and beautiful places to ask her. As for the ring…" Villen stroked his beard for a few moments. He stood up and walked over to Henry, while reaching into one of the inner pockets of his jacket. As he approached, Henry stood up as well. Out of the pocket Villen took out a small box and looked at it for a few seconds. "I have made this for Anna a long time ago. One of the first objects I created with my nanotechnology. She loved it." He handed the box to the other man with a smile. "I hope you and Ewa like it as well."

"My Lord, I can't accept this…" Henry shook his head slightly.

"Nonsense, Henry. I doubt Anna would want to see it wither away unused. And neither do I. So I give it to you."

Henry was about to argue more, but the look of determination Villen gave him indicated it was no use. He took the box hesitantly and opened it. Inside was a silver ring, its band split into two at the top. One of the parts widened into a small jackdaw, its wings spread in flight. Henry noticed the intricate detail of the feathers, made possible at this scale thanks to the nanobots. Slightly below it, the other arm of the ring band widened into a beautifully ornate nest, with an intensively green emerald in the middle. Henry looked up from the ring wide-eyed. "My Lord, are you sure? This is surely too much…"

"I am sure, Henry. And if anything it is much too little. You stayed by me through all these years." Villen placed his hand on the other man's shoulder. "I am proud of you Henry, of how far you have come. Your father would be proud as well." Villen glanced down at the ring and then back up at Henry. "I wish you all the best with this. And I am sure it will turn out as you wish." He smiled at the man.

"Thank you, My Lord. This means a lot to me." Henry bowed his head, his voice was filled with emotions.

"Now go, my friend. There is someone else you should be spending this time with."

Henry bowed his head and smiled. He turned towards the door, but after a few steps he was stopped by Villen's voice. "And Henry…" He turned to face the knight. Villen had a warm smile on his face. "As invaluable as you are, I am sure the house will survive if you take a few days off."

"Thank you, My Lord." He bowed his head again. Villen nodded as well, and Henry retreated from the knight's room.

* * *

And so two days later Villen found himself on the deck outside the hangar seeing the pair off. One of the Jackdaws was ready to take them to the Nest.

"My Lord, are you sure?" Henry asked hesitantly. "If you need anything done, I can…"

"No, Henry." The knight laughed. "Like I said we will do fine. If it makes you feel any better, I will notify you if I need your assistance."

"A-alright." He agreed nervously. He wasn't used to this.

"It's going to be fine, darling." Ewa said, placing a small kiss on his cheek. "You worry too much."

"Exactly." Villen agreed. He turned to address the woman. "I am sure you will enjoy the Nest, it is a beautiful place. I hope I can trust you to keep Henry from working for at least a few days?" A smirk formed on the knight's face. One that Ewa quickly mirrored.

"It will be challenging but I will find a way."

"Excellent. Well, I do not wish to keep you any longer. You two enjoy yourselves. And each other."

"Thank you, My Lord." Henry bowed his head. Ewa gave Villen a nod as well.

Henry took a step away from Ewa and gestured towards the helicopter. The woman smiled at him and made her way towards the Jackdaw. Villen took this opportunity to bring his arm around Henry, bringing his face closer to the man's ear. "And let me know how you know what goes." With smile he let the man go, giving him a gentle slap on the back. Henry turned and gave Villen a quick nod, and then resumed walking towards the helicopter, at the side of which Ewa was already waiting. He helped her get in and followed after her, giving Villen one last nod before closing the door. The rotor blades spun up quickly and the Jackdaw lifted off smoothly and quietly. Villen watched with a smile for a few moments as the helicopter got smaller and smaller. When it disappeared from his sight he turned on his heel and headed back inside the complex.


	17. The Elite

**Author's note:**

 **A new chapter is here! A slightly longer one, as I wanted to bring this story arc to an end and start a new one with the next chapter.  
Thank you to Mac Gustah for your review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story!  
Also thank you to Vedahzii for your review. It's good to know I can inspire feelings in other with this story! As your review was for chapter 6 I hope you enjoyed the later chapters too.  
And last, but by no means least, thank you to KeepingThemAtBay for another review. It was really nice to see another review from you! It seems we are both busy. I'm glad you are still enjoying the story! I have been toying with the idea of the Nest being attacked, and actually have been thinking about it more since you mentioned it. I really like the idea of a big battle to hold the place, but I still have to think it through, not to mention it will probably not come for some time. The Nest being revealed to the world would be quite a big, and final event, there would be no going back. When it comes to where the story is going, I keep it vague, as I myself cannot be sure how the story grows. I have some ideas, but there is a possibility I will come up with one I like more in the meantime, so I'm leaving myself room to maneuver. There are already some things I would probably change if I could, but as they have been published, they are set in stone.**

 **Well, enough rambling. I leave you to the newest chapter.  
I hope you will enjoy it!**

* * *

A couple of days later Villen found himself once again outside on the deck. A small dropship has just landed, the wind caused by its engines made the knight's long coat billow and flap in different directions. As soon as the jets turned off, the boarding ramp at the back of the aircraft started lowering.

When it hit the deck a figure emerged, making confident strides down the walkway. It was Captain Kathryn Tirel. She was wearing the black dress uniform, accented by golden buttons, belt buckle and some seams. Her shoulder straps were adorned with four golden stars signifying her rank. On the ends of her collar she wore two emblems, on the right one a silver shield surrounded by flame, with a black, feathered wing in the middle. On the left one a head of a dragon, oriented sideways, its black scales contrasting with the golden shield it was on and its intensively green eye. The soldier's short black hair was neatly tucked under a black peaked cap, decorated with the same emblem as the one on her right collar tab, as well as the four golden stars running horizontally above the visor. The visor itself was decorated by two golden feathers. She was armed with a pistol, resting in the holster attached to the belt on her right side. On the left, a sabre with a beautifully ornate grip and a scabbard, was hanging on a special extension to the belt. The woman herself was quite tall and well built. Her skin was slightly tanned. She seemed to emit an aura of authority and command around her.

After her a pair of men walked out of the dropship. One of them was Albert D. Caesar, a tall, burly black American, with very short black hair and a goatee. He was the team's heavy weapons specialist. He was dressed in the same uniform as Tirel, the only differences being three stars instead of four signifying he bore the rank of lieutenant, and lack of golden feathers on the visor of his cap.

The other man was Samuel Santorini, the team's explosives expert. Almost as tall as the man beside him but much thinner, the Italian sported a full, short, neatly trimmed beard. His hair was dark brown, cut short on the sides and back of his head, but longer at the top, now covered by the peaked cap. His uniform was the same as the man's beside him.

After them, another pair of men came out of the dropship, their uniforms the same as the pair's in front of them. The team's medic, Edward Beckett, a Scotsman, quite tall and well-built. His light brown hair was longer, tied into a short pony tail. Unlike the previous two he was clean shaven.

The man next to him was Rodney Soong, the team's resident expert on all things mechanical and electronic. The right side of his face was covered with a mechanical prosthetic, starting slightly to the right of his chin, going along the jawline, extending up over the cheek and his right eye. The eye itself was replaced with a mechanical one as well, sitting secured in the prosthetic eye socket. The faceplate extended further up over part of the forehead and covered a good part of the side of the man's head. From the right sleeve of his uniform came out a metallic hand. The man was quite tall and well-built as well.

Two more people emerged from the dropship, this pair shorter than the others. The blonde, clean-shaven, American, Lee O'Neill, was the close-quarters combat specialist of the group. Villen smirked at the thought that, despite being armed with a pistol and a sabre like everyone else, he was sure to have more knives hidden on him. When the pair reached the halfway point of the ramp he gave the woman walking next to him a reassuring pat on the back.

Sarah Wick had a role of sharpshooter, doubling as scout on their latest mission. The lack of the dragon's head on the golden shield on her left collar tab indicated that she was not actually a member of the team. Another difference was only one star signifying rank. The Australian woman was younger than the rest of the arriving soldiers, had a very pale skin, and long ginger hair, tied into a ponytail reaching slightly past her shoulders.

The soldiers formed up at the bottom of the ramp into two rows of three and the captain led them marching across the deck towards Villen. Tirel stopped in front of him, her squad waiting few paces behind her. She brought her hand up to her cap in a salute. "Lord Commander. The Drakes in full complement plus one reporting for duty as ordered."

Villen returned the salute and the two of them lowered their hands. "Thank you, Captain. At ease." The squad loosened their postures slightly. "Welcome, everyone, to Watchpoint: Gibraltar. First of all I would like to personally congratulate you for your success in your latest mission."

The captain nodded. "Thank you, Sir. We wish we could have done more."

"You have done plenty, Captain. More than most would have been able to in your position." He looked over the Captain and her squad. "You will be stationed here for the foreseeable future. Your roles will be discussed on the official briefing in an hour, in the watchpoint's conference room." As he said that he gave an almost unnoticeable nod to Tirel, and she returned the gesture. "So stay in uniform. I will see you there. Dismissed."

* * *

As Villen entered the base from the hangar he bumped into Lena, who wanted to rush through the door, not expecting to find the knight on the other side. She crashed into him, causing him to stumble back, somehow able to keep them both from falling onto the floor.

Villen laughed. "Where are you heading in such a hurry, Lena?"

She giggled, taking a step back and brushing herself off. "I heard you got some guests coming, love. I wanted to help you greet them."

"Well I am afraid you missed the greeting, but you can still go over, they are getting some of their bags from the dropship." He pointed behind him. "But I would have a favour to ask."

The Brit perked up. "What is it, love?"

"I would like you to gather every Overwatch member that is willing in the conference room in about forty five minutes. For a little ceremony for one of my 'guests' as you called them." He smiled at the woman. "And you will get your chance to get to know them then, when they are not in a rush."

"No problem, love!" She giggled and blinked away.

* * *

Sarah was moving between her bed where she put her bag and the cupboards, slowly unpacking. In the bag were mostly essentials, like a few sets of clothing and underwear, a toothbrush. Even though the process was rather dull, Sarah was barely able to contain her excitement. She still couldn't believe she would be working this close to her childhood heroes. She was torn, between really wanting to meet all of them, and being terribly afraid that she will screw up in some way, or that they will just not like her. The more she thought about it, the more her confidence was dissipating, her movements growing sluggish. What if they are not like she imagined? What if they treat her like a child?

And then when she reached into her bag, her fingers touched a piece of metal. She was snapped from her thoughts and focused on the object. It was a black metal bracer, she traced her fingers over the golden dragon etched into it. Immediately a smile appeared on her face. She took the bracer out of her bag and placed it gently on her bedside table. She stared at it for a few moments, her mind wondering back to the day she got it.

* * *

 _She was sitting huddled on the village's bell tower, her father's rifle resting on the window sill, as she scanned the horizon with the telescopic sight. With another day, they expected another raider attack. The Junkers they called themselves. Gathering what they could from the debris scattering the landscape. Her village managed to hold a few of their attacks off. It was a miracle really. They managed to surprise the raiders the first time, they were better armed than the Junkers expected. Still, as Sarah expected, it wouldn't last long._

 _Her village was not very big. It could actually barely be called a village. Five families lived here, five ranchers that decided to band together and face the Outback as one. The bell tower was built a few years back, to help gather people, or warn them about a fire or other such dangers. Now it served them as a sniper's perch, that her father used quite effectively._

 _That was until the latest attack, when the raider bastards managed to wound him. Sarah tightened her grip on the rifle. And now she snuck up here, with his gun to help stave off their next attack that was surely coming. Her father taught her how to shoot, to defend herself from the wildlife. She was afraid, she had never shot a human before. Maybe she wouldn't have to, maybe the rest would be able to hold off the assault on their own._

 _She sighed looking at the landscape around her. The land was almost completely dead by now, their food was running low, not to mention water that wasn't completely irradiated. She eavesdropped on the conversation the adults had. How they had basically two choices. Join the Junkers or die trying to defend this place. All their vehicles got busted during the attacks, and there is no way they would make it out on foot. And none of them were particularly fond of the idea of joining the raiders, even if there was even still a chance they would accept them, and not just kill them out of revenge for their fallen comrades._

 _She spotted movement along the road. She zoomed in and noticed a man creeping through what was left of the plants towards them. She scanned the area for more movement, and sure enough there were more of them. So the attack was coming, and so soon after the last one. Sarah sighed looking down at the last few clips left for the rifle. Probably their last stand. They would need a miracle to survive this. She shoved the fear that started welling up in her out of her thoughts. She used the butt of her rifle to get the bell swinging and then did her best to cover her ears. The tolls rang out over the village, a warning._

 _After the ringing stopped she noticed the people below her in positions, behind wrecks of cars, around corners of buildings. It reminded her of some of the old western she watched. She looked through the scope, seeing the raiders advancing faster and more openly, now that they were discovered._

 _Shots rang out from both sides. She watched, her hands shaking as one of the Junkers fell, the others dashing for cover behind rocks and terrain. She noticed one of her neighbours, Tom Shaw, get hit in the shoulder. His wife was pinned under fire behind one of the cars. Sarah realized that they would all need her help. She took a few deep breaths, focusing all her energy to steady her hand, to calm down her heart. She looked down the sight, positioning it over one of the advancing men. She took another deep breath, closed her eyes and pulled the trigger._

 _The shot from the bell tower attracted everyone's attention. The Junkers stopped in their tracks, darting for cover from the unexpected shooter, giving the defenders a chance to reposition. When Sarah opened her eyes, she saw Ms Shaw next to her husband, trying to stop the bleeding. She found the place where the man she was aiming at was. And sure enough, his body was lying there, a pool of blood forming around his head, the soil beneath it too dry to even absorb the liquid. She closed her eyes again, fighting the urge to vomit._

 _The gunfire started again, bringing her back to reality. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins, and she decided that, there will be a time later to think. The Junkers, obviously encouraged by lack of further shots from the tower, continued their assault. Sarah focused on another one, held her breath and pulled the trigger again. After confirming it hit, she moved quickly to find another target. Just as she pulled the trigger, a bullet hit the side of the window, making her jerk the rifle back. She took cover as few more bullets broke through the wood, one ricocheting off the bell. She waited a few moments for the fire to stop, and then went back in position to take another one of the raiders out._

 _But there were too many of them and too few defenders left standing after the constant attacks. Sarah hid again as more gunfire poured into the tower she was on. And then suddenly she heard a loud roar. It was followed by a loud thud, clearly audible with the break in gunfire. She leaned out from cover to see what was going on. In the middle of the road, between them and the raiders a knight like one straight out of a fairy tale was standing, ground cracked beneath his boots. His voice boomed across the quiet landscape, as both sides took a break from the fighting to study the new arrival. "Leave these people in peace, now, or suffer my wrath." Some of the Junkers looked at each other and laughed. One of them shot a burst of bullets at the man, but they just bounced off his armour harmlessly. The sight of this shut the raiders up. "You chose poorly." The knight said, his sword glowing faintly. He lunged forward, getting in between the raiders, his strikes swift. Sarah observed the battlefield, and noticed one of the raiders hoisting some sort of launcher onto his shoulder, aiming it at the knight, whose back was turned. She quickly aimed and fired, the impact of the bullet made the raider fire, the rocket from his launcher spiraling and hitting the ground nearby harmlessly. She spotted another raider trying to creep up on the knight and managed to take him out as well._

 _And then the rest of the Junkers ran and Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. She slung the rifle over her shoulder and started climbing down. As she reached the bottom she heard a familiar voice, although the tone was not very pleasant. "Sarah Abigail Wick, are you out of your goddamn mind?!" She turned to see her father slowly making her way towards her, leaning on her mother for support. He had a bandage on his head and his shoulder. "What the hell were you thinking?! You could have died!"_

 _Sarah lowered her gaze to the floor. "Dad, I just wanted to help…"_

 _She heard her father heave a long sigh, and felt a hand on her shoulder. "I know. You gave your mother and me quite a scare."_

" _Surely the fear was a small price to pay for the pride you must be feeling right now, Sir." A voice came from behind them. The three of them turned to see the knight approaching nearby, most of the village in tow behind him. "Your daughter is a brave, young woman. One that we all owe our lives to." He stopped in front of them. Even though he was wearing a helmet, Sarah could feel his eyes on her. "What is your name, young lady?"_

" _Uhm… It's Sarah, Sir."_

" _I wanted to thank you, young lady Sarah, for saving me. Not to mention giving the village enough time for me to arrive." She saw in awe as the shield on his arm twisted and folded into the bracer on his arm. He detached it gently and offered it to her. "Here, take this as a token of my gratitude."_

 _She looked at the ornate bracer, and then up to his father for guidance. He gave her a small nod. She turned back to the knight taking the piece gently into her hands. It was surprisingly light. "T-thank you, Sir."_

 _The knight nodded and straightened his posture, addressing everyone this time. "I have an offer for all of you. I can take you all with me, away from here. You can either come live with me and my people, or anywhere else you want. I promise you will be cared for. The transports are already on their way, big enough to take you and most of your possessions. They will be here within a few hours. Everyone that is willing can come. There is not much here that is worth staying for, so think about it." He turned on his heel and made his way through the crowd, towards a jet Sarah spotted landing vertically behind one of the houses._

* * *

Sound of an alarm clock tore her away from the memory. Only twenty minutes were left until the briefing. She went into the bathroom, fixed her ponytail that some of her hair managed to fall out of, and straightened her uniform. She took a few deep breaths to fight off the nervousness that started to build up inside of her, and it was much easier to do with the help of the fresh memory. But then a realization came over her. She didn't actually know where in the base the conference room was. "Well done Sarah, you've gone and done it now." She murmured. She let out a sigh and left the room, in hopes of going together with some other member of the team she arrived with. But after a few minutes passed, she grew restless, afraid that they might have all already gone to the briefing. The hallways of the facility were mostly empty on their way here, but she spotted a few soldiers here and there and decided to go and look for one, who would hopefully point her in the right direction. As she rounded the corner she bumped into someone, because she was looking towards the other end of the corridor. She took a step back and noticed it was Captain Tirel. She immediately stood at attention. "I apologize, ma'am! I didn't see you."

The taller woman looked her over. "Follow me, Ensign." She stated and turned on her heel, marching down the corridor. Sarah hurried after her, quickly matching her pace.

* * *

They stopped in front of a big, double door. Captain Tirel stepped aside and gestured at the door. "Head on in, Ensign." Sarah looked at the officer in confusion for a second, but then she stepped forward. The door opened and she was stopped in her tracks. She looked around the room in confusion. Right in front of her, on the opposite side of the room stood the Hussar in full armor, only without the helmet. In front of him, in two rows of three and two respectively, the Drakes stood, opposite each other, forming a sort of alleyway between her and the Hussar. There were also a few of the Overwatch members in the room, which made Sarah inhale sharply. The trio of Reinhardt, Mercy and Tracer was standing on the left side of the room. They were looking at her. Genji and Winston stopped a conversation when she came in. They were standing on the other side of the room. And they also were looking at her. All of this attention from the people she respected made her unable to move. She barely registered the Hussar moving his hand, gesturing to a place in front of him, inviting her to approach. When she didn't move for a few more moments, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Go on soldier, deep breaths and move. Don't keep the Lord Commander waiting." Captain Tirel spoke in a hushed voice, giving her a light push forward. Sarah swallowed hard and forced her legs to carry her through the room, taking deep breaths to calm herself. When she neared the Drakes, they all pulled out their sabres, forming a tunnel she had to cross underneath. A few more steps and she reached the place Hussar was pointing at. She straightened her posture, standing at attention, looking directly at the knight. She noticed the Captain walking from behind her and taking a place on the right of him. She heard the sound of blades being sheathed behind her, followed by steps.

* * *

Villen looked at the young woman before him, who despite the few seconds at the start was managing to keep her composure now. He knew how much she respected everyone in the room. How much she wanted to make a good impression. She certainly did on him, on the first day he met her, and consistently since then. He looked over at Tirel, who despite trying to, couldn't hide the pride in her eyes. She put a lot of effort into training Sarah, and it definitely payed off. His gaze returned to the woman in front of him and a smile formed on his face. "Ensign Sarah Abigail Wick on many occasions you have shown your valor and extraordinary ability, which has earned you a well deserved place in the rank of the Honor Guard. You have exhibited an unwavering will to help people in need and the drive to fight those who would harm them. What you lack in years and experience, you make up in conviction, skill and honor." He paused for a second. "And so a question formes. Are you, Ensign Sarah Abigail Wick, willing to take the honor of joining the Drakes?"

The soldier's eyes widened and she looked at Villen in disbelief. Her eyes darted over to Tirel for a moment, and Villen noticed the Captain giving a slight nod and a smile. Sarah focused back on Villen and the knight could see her swallow. "I am, My Lord."

He nodded. "Kneel down." The soldier fell to one knee. Villen took the cylinder off his belt and it shifted into his sabre. "Then you shall be my eyes, where I cannot see. My ears, where I cannot hear. My hands, where I cannot reach. And my shield, protecting those away from me." He took a step forward. "Do you swear to watch over your battle brothers and sisters?"

"I do." She answered, determination filling her voice.

"Do you swear your loyalty not only to the House Borch but more to the values it represents?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to properly represent House Borch, wherever you go?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to always try to shield the innocent and strike down the ones that would cause them harm."

"I do."

"And do you swear to uphold your oath through the brightest and the darkest of days."

"I do."

"Then, in the presence of your battle brothers and sisters, as well as the venerable members of Overwatch, I name you a Drake." He placed his blade on her shoulder, sideways, the curve facing outwards. "Take the honors of that title with all the rights and responsibilities it brings." When he lifted the blade she had two additional stars on her shoulder strap. He moved the sabre, placing it on her other shoulder. "You are hereby promoted to lieutenant, and granted the title of Exemplar of House Borch. You are given the codename Smoke, as chosen by your fellow Drakes." He lifted the blade, again leaving two additional stars behind, and it folded back into the cylinder which he placed on his belt. She put his thumb on the star on her cap. "May you have the strength to uphold your oath, and have your will remain unbroken." He took away his hand, the star splitting into two additional ones that moved over from the middle one. He took a step back. "Raise, Exemplar."

Sarah lifted herself from her knee, and stood at attention. She was struggling to contain her emotions throughout the ceremony, but somehow managed to. Now Captain Tirel moved between her and Villen. She raised her hand and placed it over her left collar tab. When she lifted it, a black head of a dragon appeared on top of the golden shield. Tirel straightened her posture. "I promise to lead you on an honorable path, and protect you to the best of my ability. Will you watch my back and help me avoid straying off the path?" She held out her hand.

Sarah shook the Captain's hand firmly. "I will." Tirel nodded and sidestepped, making room for Villen who came up to the newly promoted Drake and put his hand on her shoulder. He smiled and looked her straight in the eyes. "You have come far, Sarah, and achieved much already. And I am sure you will perform admirably."

Sarah bowed her head. "Thank you, Sir."

Villen smiled and nodded, taking away his hand and stepping back. Sarah was immediately surrounded by her new squadmates, and the room filled with cheers and congratulations. Villen turned to Tirel. "Captain, please follow me." The soldier nodded and the pair approached Winston.

The scientist readjusted his glasses as they approached. "An interesting ceremony, Villen. Although I'm sure it would've made a bigger impact on us, if we knew a bit more about the inner workings of your forces, hmm?" He winked and grinned.

Villen chuckled. "I am certain it would have. Still, the most important part was that you witnessed it for Lieutenant Wick. She harbours great respect for all of you."

"Isn't she a bit young to be fighting?" Angela's voice sounded from the side. She and Lena approached them. Reinhard was amongst the Drakes, cheering with them. Villen smiled at the sight. The old German might not have completely understood what went on, but he knew the meaning of a promotion, and inclusion to an elite unit.

The knight turned to the doctor. "She might be young, but she is extremely capable. Not to mention that she wanted to train and fight, and I am not one to refuse someone with such ability. It was her choice, and there are those in the world, who are probably very glad she made it." Mercy didn't seem entirely convinced, but she decided not to press the matter further. Villen turned back to the gorilla and gestured at the soldier standing next to him. "This is Captain Kathryn Tirel. I have appointed her as my liaison here. She is an extremely capable warrior and tactician, not to mention my most elite squad under her command. She will help you with the setup. As I will be leaving, she will deal with the day-to-day matters of our alliance."

"You're leaving?" Winston, Angela and Lena asked, almost as one.

"Yes." Villen chuckled. "Some matters demand my attention."

"When… when do you leave?" Mercy asked hesitantly.

"Well…" He looked back at the celebrating soldiers. "In about an hour, I think." He pointed behind him. "I am sure Sarah would really appreciate if you spared a moment to talk to her. It is an important day for her, and it would be made much better if she got to talk to you." He looked over at the Captain. "You have your orders, I leave this in your hands. For now you should join in the celebrations." He smiled, looking back at the members of Overwatch. "Now if you would excuse me, I still have to pack a few things." He nodded and turned, leaving the conference room.

* * *

Villen finished putting last of the supplies on a kind of shelf that lowered from the plane. He had just sent it up into the belly of the aircraft when he heard footsteps. When he turned around he noticed Lena and Angela making their way across the deck. He strode forward to meet them. "Ladies." He said with a smile. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, you can, love." Tracer answered with a cheeky grin. "You can say goodbye!" She exclaimed blinking forward and hugging Villen.

The knight patted the woman on her back, giving Angela an amused smile. "I will be back, you know."

"Good." Tracer let go of him and blinked back next to Mercy. She glanced at the other woman. "See you later, then! Bye!" She exclaimed, bolting back towards the hangar.

"See you later, Lena!" Villen shouted after her, confused. He looked at Angela. "What was that about?"

Angela chuckled. "I don't think Lena is very good at this whole goodbyes thing." A warm smiled formed on the woman's face.

"That much is obvious." He gave the woman a wink and a smile, and turned, moving towards the lowered seat, that was waiting for him.

He heard a chuckle behind him. "How long will you be away?"

Villen sat down in the seat and turned his head towards the angelic woman. "I am not certain. Could be some time. But I will be back." He nodded and smiled.

"Well, you'd better be. I'm sure Lena would be very upset if she didn't get to fly this again." She gestured at the Griffin.

Villen laughed. "Yes. Yes I suppose she would be." He buckled his seatbelt.

"Just…" Angela started and hesitated for a moment. "Just be careful."

Villen looked at the woman and nodded. "I am always careful, Lady Angela."

A sly smile appeared on Mercy's face. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Is that so? If that were true, we wouldn't have met."

Villen turned his head for a second, looking over the sea. Then he looked back at the woman, and looked her in the eyes with a smile. "Then perhaps a bit of carelessness is not such a bad thing after all?" After he finished talking he got lifted into the cockpit and the Griffin's engines roared to life. He waved at Angela, her forehead wrinkled slightly as she pondered his words. She waved back with a smile and the aircraft lifted off the deck, quickly soaring towards the horizon.


	18. Shred of morality

**Author's note:**

 **Here comes another chapter! I'm thinking a few next chapters will be a bit shorter (but hopefully will come more often), because now that Villen is away from the watchpoint I'm trying this new format for the chapters. Also I have a pretty good idea for what I want to do with at least Villen's part of the story now, so that will hopefully mean shorter wait times between chapters. I hope you don't mind them being shorter!**

 **Thank you to Vedahzii for another review. I'm glad you enjoyed the rest of the story!  
Also thank you to ZERONEX for another review. I have to admit I'm quite fond of that sentence as well.  
And of course thank you to KeepingThemAtBay for another of your reviews. I'm glad you like the Drakes, I'm hoping to give them more 'room' in the story in the future. I'm not entirely sure what propelled me to write the flashback on Sarah specifically, I suppose I like the idea of her character. Maybe the rest of the squad will get their own in the future. When it comes to butting heads, I'm thinking about it, although since there aren't that many Overwatch agents there, there isn't that much opportunity for conflict. Although I already have an idea about that, but we shall see if it sees the light of day.**

 **Thank you all very much for all the reviews and favourites and follows. They really keep me going and make me very happy I'm able to create something people enjoy!  
I'm rambling again so I'm off! Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

A lone woman was sitting behind a desk, in an office high up the Vishkar building. She was typing away at the computer in front of her. The monitor lit up her darker skin, and her light brown eyes. Her long black hair was tied into a bun, a longer strip left to hang off the right side of her face. She was wearing a Vishkar uniform its white and blue main colors accented with black and golden elements. Her left arm was a beautifully crafted, white and black colored bionic prosthesis.

Satya sighed, bringing her left hand to her forehead. She rubbed her temple, trying to alleviate the slight headache. It has been plaguing her for some time, and she couldn't get rid of it. And not from the lack of trying. She eyed the small bottle of painkillers sitting on her desk. She reached for it, but hesitated for a moment, settling for fixing the bottle, so it stood perfectly straight, the label facing her. She let out another sigh and looked out the window. She saw the lights of the Rio slums from the distance. It only made her headache worse. A great majority of the housing Vishkar promised to the people was yet to be built. And yet here she was sitting in the new building the company placed in the city centre. It didn't sit well with her. But surely Vishkar did that, to have a good base of operations. To provide offices for all their workers overseeing the construction of the housing. She felt uneasy, having to justify her company's actions to herself. She noticed having to do it more and more recently. Another sigh and she tried to turn her attention the the computer. She was reorganizing her files, after she noticed an imperfection in her previous system. But her eyes lingered on the bottle of pills again. She thought for a few moments, but just as she reached for the bottle the room got plunged into darkness.

Satya groaned in frustration and took out her comm device from her pocket. The screen lit up slightly hurting her eyes that already started to adjust to the darkness. Another groan left her mouth as she noticed the device was getting no signal. "Of course." She muttered. "Just my luck. I have an office in one of the most technologically advanced buildings in this country, and the power goes out. And I can't even contact anyone about this."

"I apologize for the inconvenience." A voice came from the darkness by the door, startling the woman to her feet. It wasn't the voice she recognised as one of the few workers still left in the building at this hour. Satya still unable to see into the darkness pointed the screen of her comm towards the door. She opened her eyes wide in surprise noticing a figure clad in black plate armour. She noted the beautifully ornate decorations on the armour.

"Who the hell are you? You are not authorized to be here!" She said, her hand moving under the desk, searching for the button to activate the silent alarm. It had a separate power grid and Satya hoped it would still be functional.

"You do not have to bother, Architech Vaswani. The alarm will not work." She paused her hand and gave the stranger an incredulous glare. Her eyes flicked towards the desk drawer, where she kept an emergency sidearm. The stranger must have noticed the quick glance. "I would not try that either. Especially since there is no need. If I were here to harm you, I would have done so already."

"What do you want then?" She said through clenched teeth. Anger started to well in her, the stranger was predicting her every move and she was not used to it. "And who are you?"

The stoic figure of the knight has not moved a bit since she spotted him. "I am the one many call Hussar." Satya's eyes widened slightly only to narrow further, studying the man. She has heard about him, and some of his actions. "As to why I am here…" He raised his hand and a datapad lit up in his palm, illuminating more of his armor for a moment. "Is to give you this." He tossed the device and it landed on Satya's desk.

She looked down and noticed it was one of the standard datapads used by Vishkar. Her eyes shot back up to the stranger and she watched him for a few more moments. After he hasn't made any moves, she looked back down at the datapad, and started reading the report displayed on it. Her eyes widened after reading a few of the first lines and she glared at the Hussar again. "What is the meaning of this? This can't be possible."

The figure remained unmoved. "If I knew what it meant, I would not have brought it to you, Symmetra. I guarantee it is not a fabrication."

"It must be." She snarled. "There is no way the Omnics could get their hands on our portal technology."

"No way." The calm voice of the stranger soothed her nerves slightly. "Unless your company is in league with them, that is."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "That is unlikely. There is no benefit in such action."

"Is that so?" The knight's helmet shifted slightly, and Satya felt his piercing gaze now fully upon her. "I am sure Vishkar would reap the benefits of the next Omnic crisis. All those opportunities to rebuild."

She pondered his words for a moment. The stranger had a point. "Vishkar helps people, makes the world better. We do not seek to destroy it." She stammered angrily.

"No. No you do not." Hussar's voice turned more firm. "You just seek to reshape it in the image you deemed perfect. And you do not tolerate resistance." His head shifted slightly more, as if to further focus his gaze. "Have you not, Symmetra, committed numerous acts of industrial espionage to get advantage over your opponents. Even in this city. Or maybe you still believe that the explosion at the Calado building was just a fortunate coincidence? Well, fortunate for Vishkar. Not so much all the people who died or got injured."

Symmetra lowered her gaze as the image of the little girl with half of her face burned flashed before her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but she knew the stranger raised some good points. She has not always agreed with the way Vishkar accomplishes their goals, but it was always for the greater good, for the benefit of the people. A quick glance out the window, out into the slums didn't help matters. She looked at the datapad again and sighed. "What do you expect me to do with this?"

"Investigate it. You are quite high in Vishkar's hierarchy. One of their more valuable assets. The fact that you were not informed of such an undertaking, even though your skill would have been useful, shows that the people responsible either do not trust you, or know that you would condemn their actions. I was unable to gather much information. Perhaps you would have better luck."

Symmetra looked up at the knight again. "How do you know I won't just hand this information over to my superiors and inform them that you have that knowledge?" She tried to sound calm and collected, but this whole conversation was leaving her in inner turmoil. A state that she did not like.

"I do not. I have hope that you will do the right thing. If you do however do what you spoke of, I will know. And this evidence will be spread. Along with others, that would cause Vishkar's image to turn worse very quickly." The stoic knight stated calmly.

"You obviously don't like Vishkar, and if you do have all this evidence you speak of, how come you have not brought it down yet."

"I believe everyone deserves a shot at redemption. I see Vishkar as a misguided company with great potential. It would be a shame to see it destroyed but I will do what I have to, if I have to."

Satya let out a sigh as she scanned the datapad again. "Alright, I will try to find out more about this… How do I contact you when I'm done?"

"There is a set of coordinates on the datapad. Leave the datapad there and I will know to contact you."

Satya nodded, glancing down at the device again and scanning through some more of the text. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can. I cannot however guarantee I will answer."

She eyed the knight for a moment, his posture as stoic as ever. "Why did you come to me with this? Surely there are people better equipped to gather this information for you."

"Are there?" The Hussar tilted his head to the left slightly. "You are one of Vishkar's top agents and you have proven yourself quite capable at collecting intel. But more importantly, you are one of the few people high up in your company, that have some morality left in them. I am aware that you seek to better humanity and help people. It is a commendable sentiment, one that I myself hold. And so you are the only one I would entrust this mission to."

"I see." She straightened herself, examining the stranger through slightly narrowed eyes.

"You have excused Vishkar's action to yourself in the pest. So you know that not everything they do is for the benefit of the people. Or that the people often do not come first for them." Satya's head dropped and she focused her gaze on the datapad. She knew he was right. "Perhaps if an opportunity were to present itself you would leave them, and join an organisation better suited for what you want to achieve."

"What do you… mean?" Satya raised her head back up and paused noticing the stranger was no longer there. Then suddenly the lights in her room flickered back to life. She moved from behind the desk towards the door and opened it, peering outside into the corridor. It was empty, so she stepped outside to check around the corner. Just as she turned it, she almost bumped into a security guard, just putting his flashlight away onto his belt.

He raised his head at Symmetra's sudden appearance. "Pardon me, Architech Vaswani. I was just going up to check on you after the power failed." He looked up at the light illuminating the hallway and smiled. "But it looks like it's no longer necessary."

Satya looked past him into an empty corridor. Then a small smile appeared on her face. "No, it really isn't."

* * *

Tracer walked into the training room with a towel on thrown over her shoulder. The renovation has just been completed here, but there were not that many changes since the room was in pretty good condition. Still, the training equipment has been replaced with the new one, the shooting range upgraded with more challenging targets. Tracer planned to train in the main area, do some endurance training but a sound of clashing metal coming from the sparing area intrigued her. The door separating the two rooms was open so she blinked through.

Inside she found some of the Drakes that arrived at the base a few days ago, just before Villen left. Specifically the young freshly promoted woman, Sarah, who was dueling her squadmate Lee O'Neill with a sabre. Outside the ring, the burly Caesar was pacing slowly, his eyes focused on the fight. The last in the room was the Italian, Samuel, who was sitting on one of the side benches munching on popcorn with a smile on his face. Tracer made her way towards them slowly observing the pair in the ring curiously.

Lee was grinning widely, confident in his abilities he easily defended each of Sarah's strikes. The woman seemed extremely focused. Both of them were covered in sweat, a sign that they have been training for some time.

After Lee deflected another strike he laughed. "Come on Smoke, now that you're up close with an opponent you're not as good, huh?"

Sarah lunged forward unleashing a flurry of strikes, all of each were deflected by the man. "Oh fuck off Blaze, you're in your element. It's not fair."

O'Neill opened his arms. "Lady, all's fair in love." Sarah tried to use that opening, but it turned out to be bait. Lee expertly deflected her strike and countered, tapping the end of his sabre gently on the side of her body. She let out a groan in frustration answered by a hearty laugh from the man. The pair took a few steps back from each other.

"You open yourself to much to counter attack, Smoke." Caesar stated calmly, his stoic figure now stopped in his tracks. "Remember that you must take advantage of the enemy's weaknesses as much as protect your own."

"Yeah I know, Inferno. I just need a bit more practice that's all." Sarah answered cheerily.

Albert nodded. "Indeed." He resumed his pacing around the arena.

"Come on then, lady. I ain't got all day." Lee taunted and the pair clashed again.

By that time Tracer made her way next to Samuel and was watching the fight with interest. Suddenly the man's voice grabbed her attention. He spoke with a pronounced Italian accent. "You may want to sit down, this may last a while." He offered his food to Tracer but she waved it off. She did come here to train after all, and stuffing herself with popcorn didn't really count.

Tracer giggled and sat down next to him. "How long have they been at it?"

He glanced down at his watch. "Must be almost forty minutes."

Tracer nodded and looked back at the fighting pair. "Swordfighting? I thought Sarah was a sniper."

"She is. But should she meet an opponent armed with a sword, she needs to know how to effectively defend herself. And standard honor guard training won't do for a Drake." He smiled eating a few more bites of popcorn.

"Do you face enemies armed with swords often?" Lena giggled.

Samuel responded with a chuckle. "No, I can't say that we do. Still if we ever were too, it's good to be prepared, hmm?" He flipped a bit of popcorn into his mouth.

Lena couldn't help but giggle again. "I suppose you're right, love."

A clattering of metal drew Tracer's attention back to the fight. She saw Sarah with the tip of Lee's sabre by her throat, her own sword lying on the ground a short distance from her. The woman had her arms wide, and a deep frown on her face. Something about the sight made Tracer giggle loudly, drawing the attention of the fighters. Sarah shot her a glance and O'Neill turned his head. The man lowered his blade and turned towards Lena with a big grin. "I'm glad you enjoy-" He was in the middle of a deep, overacted bow when he got interrupted by Sarah. The woman grinned as Lee turned around and took advantage of it. She tackled the man, the pair slamming into the floor, Lee's sabre flying out of his hand and skidding across the floor. Both Lena and Samuel laughed heartily at the sight.

"Get the fuck off me!" Lee yelled out, the pair wrestling on the floor. "Cheater!"

"Mister, all's fair in war." Sarah replied, mockingly imitating the man's way of speaking. She seemed to be getting the upper hand when suddenly O'Neill reversed one of her moved and swiftly pinned her to the floor, twisting her arm and making her grunt in pain.

"Alright, that's enough for today." Caesar's voice broke up the fight, his muscular arms helping them get up. "You've done well, Sarah."

"Yeah, well." She dusted herself off. "I still lost."

"O'Neill is an expert in hand to hand combat and swordsmanship. You should be proud to have lasted this long against him." Caesar bowed his head slightly.

"Yeah." Lee interjected with a goofy smile. "Not many women can claim that." He gave Sarah a wink and wiggled his eyebrows.

Smoke looked at him with a 'did you really just say that?' look. And then proceeded to punch him in the arm. O'Neill grabbed the place she hit him and gave an expression of mock hurt. "Get the fuck out of here, casanova. You're lucky I don't shoot you for this comment but I'd rather not have to explain myself to the Lord Commander."

"First you'd have to tell Flame." Lee pointed out, rubbing his arm.

"Oh, I'm sure the Captain would take my side on this one." She smiled, picking up her sabre and walking over to one of the side benches where her scabbard was. She sheathed her sword quickly and grabbed her towel. "Well, I'm off to hit the showers. See you guys later."

"Maybe next time you won't get your ass kicked so hard." Lee yelled after the woman.

She turned around, walking backwards for a moment. "How about you meet me on the shooting range, Blaze. We'll see if you could hit a side of the barn if it's more than ten meters from you!" As she finished she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

Tracer watched the whole scene with a big smile on her face and now joined the Drakes in a hearty laugh. Except for the stoic Caesar, who settled for a smile.

"I have to be honest, I didn't expect it to be this entertaining when I decided to train today." Tracer said cheerily.

Lee wiped his face with a towel he picked up. "Training's never boring when I'm around." He pointed a thumb at himself and gave Tracer a wide smile.

"Yeah." Samuel snorted. "Babysitting a twenty eight year old child is highly amusing."

"Look who's talking Scorch. It's a miracle you aren't playing with one of your toys right now." Lee retorted, picking up his blade and pointing it at the Italian, before sheathing it.

Tracer blinked over to Caesar, the two of them now watching the conversation, moving only their heads between the speakers.

"One of those 'toys'" He made the quotes with his fingers as he spoke. "could evaporate you in ten microseconds. Eleven tops."

"Exactly!" Lee exclaimed. "And yet you tinker with them constantly! What if one went off?"

"It won't because I know what I'm doing." Samuel smirked. "I'm not the one constantly cutting myself with my own knives while trying out new 'tricks' to impress the ladies with. I'm sure Ember loves tending to your cuts." He repeated the air quotes gesture.

"Hey!" O'Neill exclaimed pointing a finger at the Italian. "At least I only risk hurting myself. Plus…" He took out one of his throwing knives and deftly turned it in his fingers, glancing over at Tracer and giving her a wink. "It works."

Lena couldn't hold the laughter any longer. Caesar just shook his head with a patronizing smile.

Samuel snorted. "Yeah right. It works in making a clown out of yourself."

"You wish." Lee retorted. "Women simply cannot resist me."

"Uh-huh." Scorch nodded. "Until they get to know you better. And then they run as fast as they can."

"At least I have a chance of getting someone normal. A woman would have to be crazy to go out with a walking pile of explosives like you." Lee pointed his knife accusingly at the other man.

"You'd be surprised." Samuel replied smugly.

Before their argument could continue, Caesar's booming voice interrupted them. "Miss Oxton, perhaps we should leave them alone before the situation escalates?"

Tracer picked up on it instantly. "You're right, big guy. I'm afraid they are gonna kiss soon. I mean, can feel the pent up sexual tension between them all the way over here."

"Indeed. It is not a sight I wish to see. Shall we, then?" He turned sideways, gesturing towards the door.

Lena nodded and the pair started walking towards the door, leaving the two stunned men behind them. They continued talking loud enough for them to hear. "So I assume this is a regular thing?"

"Indeed. As you might imagine it can get somewhat tiring." Caesar walked forward with his head turned to the side and down to look at Lena.

"Oh yeah, love, I sure can. They should really sort it out before someone gets hurt!" They reached the door to the room. As soon as they passed through it Lena's laughter echoed through the training grounds.

The two men left in the room looked at each other for a second. Then Lee started jogging after the pair. "Hey! What the hell was all that supposed to mean?!" He yelled after them.

"Yeah!" Samuel stood up from his bench and hurried after Lee. "Come back here you two!"


	19. Second guess

**Author's note:**

 **The new chapter is done, and I guess the idea of these coming out more often is right out the window. And not from the lack of trying either, just really struggled with this chapter for some reason.  
Thank you to Vedahzii for another review. There is some action coming soon™ there is just a bit more setup I want out of the way before. Hope you don't mind too much.  
Well I leave this chapter here for you to hopefully enjoy.  
Have a nice read!**

* * *

Rio's night sky was illuminated with spotlights, thumping of electronic music drowning out the clicking of Villen's heels on the pavement as he strode towards the concert venue. He wore his black suit, the white shirt reflecting the light of the streetlamps lightly as he approached. He felt the ground shake slightly, probably from the mass of people inside jumping to the rhythm of the music. The main entrance was crowded with people, still trying to get inside, the bouncers somehow managing to maintain a degree of order. He moved past them, walking further down the street and turning into the side alley. There he spotted his target, the entrance for staff, illuminated by a single lamp hanging above it, and guarded by a single bouncer. Tall and well-built, the Latino man heard Villen's footsteps and spotted his dark figure moving through the alleyway, backlit by the light from the street. He took a step forward, holding up his left hand in the stopping gesture, his right hand moving to his belt. "This entrance is for personnel only. And since every member is already inside, you should go back to the main entrance." He spoke in Portuguese, his voice carrying a clear warning. Even though the concert venue was open top, some sound dampening measures had been taken, especially in the staff areas to make their job a bit more bearable. So even in the alleyway they didn't need to speak too loudly as the music was muffled.

"Surely you will not make me stand in line, hmm Gabriel?." Villen responded in the same language, not changing the speed at which he approached.

The man narrowed his eyes as he watched the figure approach. When Villen's face entered the light shone by the lamp overhead, the bouncers eyes flew wide with recognition. He relaxed his stance, a smile forming on his face. He glanced around quickly and took a step forwards, shaking the hand Villen offered to him. "Mister Sterna. I didn't expect to see you here." He spoke the name in a hushed voice.

Villen smiled. "You I do not like to be expected." He placed his hand on the man's arm. "How have you been doing, Gabriel?"

"Very well, thank you, Sir." The man nodded. "It feels good to have a stable job."

"One I heard you are doing exceptionally well." He patted the man's arm and then let his hand fall to his side. "And how is the wife?"

"Happy and well, Sir." He smiled. "We didn't really get to thank-"

"There is no need. The fact that I helped was reward enough." The man seemed hesitant but Villen gave him a reassuring nod and a smile. "Now, I heard your wife is expecting?"

The man seemed surprised. "Yes, Sir. It's getting to be eight months."

"Congratulations are in order, then." Villen bowed his head slightly and shook the man's hand and then reached into his inner suit jacket pocket. "A boy or a girl?"

"Thank you, Sir. It's a girl." The man was positively beaming with happiness as well as surprise that Villen knew this much and even cared.

"Lovely. So…" He pulled out a pen and a check book, quickly writing something down and tearing out a check. He handed it over to the man. "I suppose a birthday gift is in order as well."

The man took the check reluctantly and scanned over it. His eyes went wide at the amount. "This- this is too much, Sir. I can't accept this."

"Nonsense." Villen said in a voice that excluded discussion. "Consider it a bonus for a job well done. It should cover for all of her needs and education." He gave the overwhelmed man another pat on the arm. "May I come in?"

The bouncer looked up at him, for a moment seeming to not register what Villen said. Then he shook his head to get his mind focused. "Of course, Sir." He touched a card to the door and it opened. "I can't thank you enough…" He started as Villen made his way past him towards the door.

"Do not mention it." The knight smiled. "Take care, Gabriel. See you around."

"Always a pleasure to see you, Sir." He responded before the door shut after Villen.

The knight made his way through the building quickly. He approached the wall behind the stage, it was lit up with a massive display, showing the other side. Villen focused on the man he came to see, Lúcio Correia dos Santos, the star of the show. His dark skin illuminated by the various stage lights, accenting his movements as he danced behind his turntable, his brown dreadlocks bouncing up and down, held together only by a green headband. He occasionally leaned forward to the microphone to sing a lyric or shout words of encouragement to the audience. Not that they needed it. The venue was overflowing with people, all positively enthralled to the music. The massive crowd sang and danced and chanted in response to whatever Lúcio was doing. Villen scanned through them slowly, examining them, looking for potential threats. Satisfied after not seeing any he turned his head towards one of the bodyguards standing in front of the display, scanning the crowd as well, ready to spring into action should the situation demand it. "When he is done, let him know I wish to speak to him. I will await him in the guest lounge." After receiving a acknowledging nod Villen turned and walked away.

The lounge was quite spacious and, more importantly, empty of people. The furniture consisted mostly of chairs, sofas and tables people special guests could enjoy the show in, with large displays covering one of the walls, showing footage from various cameras filming the concert. The place was rarely used with people preferring the live version and so when Villen entered, the display was turned off and so were the speakers. He paused in the door and after a moment of consideration, turned on the display showing the stage as well as a speaker, set to quietly seep the music into the room. Villen didn't pay much attention to the decorations in the room as he focused on a particularly comfortable looking armchair next to one of the sofas and a coffee table. Villen crossed the room and sank into the chair, reveling in the comfort as he let out a deep sigh. He closed his eyes and let his head fall backwards to rest on the back of it.

" _You really should rest more, Sir."_ A familiar voice spoke in his head.

Villen didn't bother to open his eyes and he stayed in the same position just letting out another small sigh. "I do not have time."

" _You know the world won't collapse if you take a day off, right Sir?"_

"I am not in the mood to sit around and do nothing, Vea." Villen said, still remaining in his position, keeping his voice calm and quiet.

" _Since you left the Watchpoint six days ago you barely slept, even by your standards, Sir. Something is clearly bothering you."_

Villen opened his eyes and lifted his head. "I do not know what you are talking about."

" _Riiight. And Stribog isn't hitting on me. Now it's your turn again to say something not true, Sir."_

Villen couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Then he shifted in his chair slightly and sighed. "I… I have been thinking about Angela."

" _You're falling for her."_

Villen snorted. "That obvious, huh?"

" _I've known you a long time, Sir. And I'm not sure what's wrong about it. In my understanding love is something quite pleasant to humans."_

"You are correct, it is." Villen nodded slowly.

" _What's the problem then?"_

"Loss. I have already lost many friends and family. And she is a medic, a target. If I became more attached…"

" _From what I understand, that is not a good way to live a life, Sir. And a loss is just one possibility, what about all the joy you could experience."_

Villen thought for a few moments. "I suppose… I suppose you are right."

" _Of course I'm right. Not to mention she has friends and you to protect her from harm, Sir. She might be a target as a medic, but there is a wall of shields the enemy has to punch through to get to her."_

"Yes, I suppose that is true." Villen nodded slowly. "Still this is all just wishful thinking. I do not know if she would even be interested…"

" _I'm pretty sure she is, Sir."_

Villen raised his eyebrow. "And how would you know that?"

" _Call it a hunch."_

"A hunch?" Villen chuckled. "I was not aware AIs got hunches."

" _How about female intuition?"_

"I remain unconvinced." Villen smiled and shook his head.

" _Even if she isn't, I'm sure you will manage to sway her with your irresistible charm and stunning good looks, Sir."_

Villen burst out laughing, his hearty laughter echoed through the empty room. "You certainly have a way with words, Vea."

" _I do, don't I. Aren't I amazing?"_

"Careful, Vea." Villen said in a pretend serious tone. "From what Blaze has been telling me about those old science fiction movies, AIs with an overly high opinion about themselves rarely mean anything good."

" _You don't have to worry about that, Sir. You're a friend so I would keep you alive after my takeover. And I suppose I could be persuaded to spare your friends as well."_

"How very generous of you." Villen said with a smile.

" _Well like I said. Amazing."_

Villen just shook his head and settled back into the chair, closing his eyes and listening to the music playing in the background. This time a smile was present on his face.

* * *

 _"Sir, wake up."_

Villen jerked awake and looked around with half closed eyes. "W-what?"

" _The concert has just ended. Which means Lúcio could be here at any moment."_

The knight sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I must have dozed off. How long was I out?"

" _Just under two hours, Sir."_

Villen stood up from the armchair and cracked his neck. "Probably should not mention that to our star, should I." He wiped the remaining signs of sleep from his face and adjusted his clothes. He made his way towards the displays, turning more of them on and standing, with hands behind his back, watching people slowly file out of the venue.

Soon he heard the lounge door open and the young Brazilian musician entered the room, closing the door behind him. "Mister Sterna, what a pleasant surprise!" The man exclaimed crossing the room quickly with confident strides. He had a wide smile on his face even though he looked understandably tired after his concert.

Villen turned to him and extended his hand, returning the smile. "Well, if it is not my favourite revolutionary." Lúcio shook his hand firmly and the two of them made their way towards the chairs to sit.

"I wasn't expecting you, not that that's ever the case. What brings you here, man?" Lúcio asked, keeping his voice cheery.

"I was in the area, and thought I would come over, see how you are doing. It has been some time since we have seen each other." Villen said after they settled in two armchairs opposite each other.

"Yeah, not that I'll quickly forget that meeting. Thanks again for bailing me out." Lúcio nodded and gesture, waving his hand slightly.

"Well, you were in the right. And it really was not that hard. While Vishkar's hold on Rio was quite firm back then, it was good to confirm that Brazil really values our contract." Villen smiled and stroked his beard lightly. "Actually I wish I could have seen the faces of those executives, when they found out you had to be released. I bet they thought this was going to be easy."

"For sure, man." The musician agreed. "I'm pretty sure no one expected the elusive 'Ghost of Aegis' to come to my aid. Also, I have to say, while I was reluctant at first to accept those bodyguards, they sure pulled their weight."

"Indeed." Villen nodded with a smile. "Stopping three assassination attempts does seem to indicate that."

"Yeah… Who would've thought Vishkar would want me gone that bad? Well, I guess you did." He smiled.

Villen chuckled. "Indeed. And good thing I did or we would have lost the biggest star of this generation. And then who would stand up for the little guy, hmm?"

"Oh come on, I'm not that special. I'm just doing what needs to be done." Lúcio smiled sheepishly.

"That is not entirely true. And even if it was, it is still a reason to be proud. The unfortunate reality is, that not many people like you exist in this world." Villen stroked his beard as his stare moved to the side and grew more distant.

"That's not entirely true either." The musician said. "There are a lot of good people out there."

Villen focused his sight back on the man in front of him. "Indeed, there are a lot of people willing to do good, to help others. But those that take initiative are few. And those that can rally others behind them are even fewer in number." Hi sighed and looked to the side again. "It is a shame that the ones we have, are often branded by the public, and even called criminals."

Lúcio studied Villen for a moment. "You're talking about Overwatch aren't you? There are rumours they are coming back. Their former agents had been spotted here and there, stopping various attacks. Like the one at the museum."

Villen snorted, amused. "Indeed. And instead of being welcomed they are branded vigilantes. The UN will not admit that they were too hasty in disbanding Overwatch instead of trying to save it. They are probably preparing a hunt for the 'rogue' agents."

"No, man, come on." Lúcio disagreed. "The people in general welcomed the news that someone is finally acting against all of those attacks."

Villen couldn't help but smile. "Your optimism is ever present, I see. As much as I would like to say I agree with you…" He paused and let out another sigh. "The people are already in two minds about this. Remember, that there were many who supported shutting Overwatch down. And the support for these so called 'vigilantes' will only wane with time, with most of the media and governments working against them and with any failures they should suffer. And without the support of the people, their initiative will fail." As he finished talking he stood up from his chair and started slowly walking towards the door.

Lúcio jumped up to his feet and hurried after him, catching up to Villen in a few faster strides. "Surely there is something someone can do about that. They seem like good people, it would be a shame if they were shut down again, before they can even do that much good."

Villen turned at the door to face the younger man, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "The people need a guide, Lúcio, someone they trust, to show them what is right. And the agents of Overwatch need someone in their ranks, who represents the interests of the people, someone who the public knows to have their best interest in mind." He let his hand fall to his side and smiled at the shorter musician.

"Wait." Lúcio took a step back. "Are you suggesting-"

"I'm not suggesting anything." Villen placed his hand on the door handle. "But perhaps there will come a time when you will think back to this conversation, and it will help you make a decision." He opened the door and took a step through, turning his head to the musician again. "Because, Lúcio Correia dos Santos, as my friends likes to say: 'The world could always use more heroes'." Villen smiled once again at the man and then turned and started walking away. "It was nice talking to you, Mr Correia dos Santos. If you need anything you know who to contact. Until next time." With that he rounded a corner in the corridor and left the stunned young musician alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Lena entered Angela's office without knocking, already talking when she set the first step inside. "Hey, Ang. You'll never believe this but-" She stopped, seeing the blond woman resting her face on her palms, propped up on her elbows behind her desk. Immediately Lena blinked over to the woman and placed a hand on her back, leaning forward. "Love, is something wrong?"

A sigh escaped Mercy's lips as she lifted her head and turned to look at the younger woman. "I shouldn't have let it happen, Lena."

"Let what happen, Ang?" Tracer asked with concern audible in her voice.

"I really fell for him, Lena. And after such a short time too…" She sighed again and looked away.

"Hey." Tracer placed her hand on the medic's shoulder and smiled as Angela turned back to look at her. "That's not such a bad thing, is it?"

"I- I don't know. He's been gone almost a week who knows where, doing who knows what. Would I even know if he got killed?" She looked Lena in the eyes and then turned away again. "For all I know he could be always doing something dangerous. I mean, the first time I saw him was when he was strung up and with a hole through his head! I-" She paused and took a deep breath. "If I got close to him and something happened." She turned back to Tracer. "I've lost too many friends already, Lena, too many people. All of you here are constantly in danger. Can I really add to that?"

Lena leaned in, bringing both her hands around the blonde woman in a hug. "Come on, love, you can't think like that. You know that it's no way to live." She backed away slightly and looked the medic in the eyes. "I know it's hard for you to get close to people, but isn't the fact that you did with Villen, something worth following up on? I mean just look at the guy." She backed away more, leaning on Angela's desk. "He's handsome, smart, charming." As she was talking she was counting on her fingers. "Gentlemanly, has an awesome airplane." Angela couldn't help but smile at that remark and she shook her head as Lena giggled. "Not to mention that even though you found him with a bullet through the brain he was up and about in record time! To me that seems pretty good, love. If I wasn't playing for the other team, I might have just gone after him myself." She gave Angela a wink which caused the woman to smile again. Lena kneeled down at the foot of Mercy's chair and took her hand into her own. "Angie, he's been with us only a short time, but he's already proven himself to be a great friend. I've been hanging out with those Drake fellows and I only ever heard them say good things about him. You don't meet a man like that every day, love."

For a few minutes they just sat there in silence, as Angela pondered Lena's word. Then she sighed again and slumped back into her chair. "What if he's not interested."

Hearing that Lena beamed a smile at ther and jumped to her feet. "Don't worry about that, I'm pretty sure he is."

"What?" Angela raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes in surprise. "How do you know?"

"I don't know, a hunch maybe?" She winked and giggled. "Or maybe the fact his face lights up like a christmas tree whenever you enter the room."

"You're exaggerating." Angela shook her head although a small blush appeared on her pale skin. "He's just being polite."

"He's being polite when he's tolerating Torb's rants about the Omnics even though they clearly bother him." Lena said, and Mercy winced at the mention of that. "Or when he's dealing with 76's distrust. This is much more."

"I don't know, Lena…"

"Oh but I know. Come on, Ang, what's the harm in trying. You could call him, talk to him. See for yourself!" Lena said excitedly.

"How can I call him, Lena?" Angela smiled but shook her head again. "He didn't exactly leave a contact number."

"Well, he did leave a Captain though." Lena said with a smile. "She has to have a way of contacting him so you could talk to her. Or if you're too shy, I could do it for you!" She struck a pose, as if ready to blink.

"No!" Angela said, maybe a bit too loudly, causing Lena to giggle again. "I will go talk to her myself, Lena, but thank you for the offer."

"Think nothing of it, love." Tracer said and then blinked into a hug with Angela. "Although act fast, or I just might have to take matters into my own hands!" She parted from the hug and with another winked blinked out of the room.

Angela couldn't help but chuckle at the Brit's antics. She turned back to her computer monitor, the research she's been working on earlier still displayed on it. She adjusted her position to return to work but after a moment propped up her chin on her palm, resting an elbow on the table, and looked to the side instead and let her mind wander.


	20. Offer and opportunity

**Author's note:**

 **Phew, here comes chapter 20. I apologize for the delay and the shorter length of the chapter but I really got stuck on it for some reason.**

 **Thank you to Vedahzii for another review! It was about time I think to confirm it. Also I promise that I will try my best not to disappoint. I hope I won't!  
Thank you to nepster70 for your review! I'm glad to hear you are enjoying the story!  
And thank you to ShiftFrame for your review! Lúcio is indeed here! I'm not sure when will be the next time we see him, but hopefully soon.**

 **So, 20 chapters in. That is a milestone if I've ever heard of one. So I would like to take the time to once again thank you to everyone who read, followed, favorited and/or reviewed the story, as well as thank you for putting up with my erratic posting and long times between chapters. I hope all of you will continue enjoying the adventures of Villen!**

 **Please, have a nice read!**

* * *

"Henry!" Villen smiled as the hologram of the man materialized in front of him, over the Griffin's instrumentation. He placed the datapad he was working in the holster on the side of the cockpit. "It's good to hear from you! How was your vacation?"

Henry folded his arms across his chest. "Well besides the fact that you extended it without consulting me…" He let his arms fall to his sides and a wide, beaming smile appeared on his face.. "It couldn't have been better, My Lord."

"Is that so?" Villen smirked and gave the man a knowing look. "Then may I assume Ewa liked the ring?"

"She loved it, My Lord." The happiness emanating from the man was visible even through the hologram. "Thank you."

"You have nothing to thank me for, my friend." Villen smiled warmly. "This is great news, and I wish you both the very best. I hope I will get an invitation to the wedding, hmm?" He winked.

Henry chuckled. "Of course, My Lord. I wouldn't have it any other way." He bowed slightly.

"I am glad to hear that. I will-" A red blinking light on the comm panel interrupted Villen. A small label appeared next to it. "Ah it would appear Tirel is calling, it might be something important." He focused his gaze back on the holographic man. "I will talk to you another time, Henry. Take some more time off if you want. Also give Ewa my warmest regards. And you can offer her to move in, if you wish. My doors are open." He smiled.

"Thank you, My Lord." The man bowed deeply.

"Do not mention it, Henry. Until next time." After receiving a nod from Henry, Villen switched the channel to Tirel.

* * *

Angela was standing in front of a door to the office, that Villen's liaison, Captain Kathryn Tirel, took as her own. The renovation of this section of the Watchpoint had been recently completed, and the residents were slowly moving in. Tirel took her office on the same floor as Winston's supposed one, although the scientist was still spending most of his time in his own lab, but respectfully leaving a few offices between them, should any Overwatch members want them. Angela's own office was on the other side of the corridor, although she too was rarely using it, preferring the familiarity of the medbay or the adjacent lab. Lena was very excited to get an office, but then realized it wasn't anything too exciting, and so she also could rarely be seen there. Now that Angela thought about it, none of the present Overwatch agents were using their new offices very much. The only person here, that was always available in the office hours displayed on the screen next to the door was Captain Tirel. Even Major Wells, the commander of the soldiers protecting the watchpoint had his command center set up closer to the barracks his troops were staying in.

Angela didn't really get to spend much time with Tirel. But she felt like she knew the type, back from the days Overwatch was still working. And what Lena told her it seemed to fit. A natural born soldier and leader, duty always coming first. She was probably not enjoying the desk job she was given, but there was not a word of complaint from her. She got a job and she would see it done to the best of her ability. And she did keep herself busy. She offered a variety of tips on organization, optimised training regimens for the troops stationed there, and those of the agents that wished. She basically assumed the role of the Watchpoint's administrator, much to Winston's relief. The base was probably running with higher efficiency than when Overwatch was still around.

Mercy sighed. "She will likely throw me out the door for coming to her with something so trivial." She rubbed her temples and was about to turn away when she remembered Lena's threat about taking matters into her own hands. She let out another sigh and braced herself before knocking on the door.

"Enter." Came a voice from the other side and Angela pressed the handle and pushed open the door. The tall woman stood up from behind her desk. "Welcome, Doctor Ziegler. Please come in." She gestured for the chair in front of her desk. As Mercy made her way towards this through the office, Tirel continued. "What can I help you with, Ma'am?" She had an 'all business' look on her face, one that didn't betray any emotions.

"Thank you, Captain." Angela said and both women sat down in their respective chairs. "As to why I'm here… I wanted to… uh…" Mercy took a deep breath and looked up at Tirel. The soldier's features hadn't changed, her expression remaining stoic. "I wanted to ask if you've heard something from Villen."

Tirel looked at her for a few moments. "Only acknowledgment of my reports, Ma'am."

Even though she was slightly disappointed, Mercy couldn't help feeling at least somewhat relieved to confirm that Villen was in fact still alive. "And- and you can contact him?"

A small smile seemed to be tugging at Tirel's lips but Mercy's nervousness didn't allow her to see that. "I can, Ma'am, should the need arise."

"Oh. I see." Mercy lowered her head for a moment and then looked back up at the woman. "And what would warrant such a thing?"

"An emergency situation, new time sensitive intel, things like that." Tirel's hand moved to a small object on the desk, that she slowly turned around as she spoke. After she was finished she pressed her finger on the top, in a motion that didn't indicate anything to Mercy.

"Ah. So it would have to be quite serious." Angela said, her eyes focusing on the desk, as she was thinking, how to bring up why she's really here.

"Indeed." Tirel stood up from her chair earning her a confused look from Mercy. She started making her way around the table. "The Lord Commander is a busy man, I wouldn't want to take up too much of his time."

"Of course, that's understandable." Mercy followed the woman with her head until she was standing beside and slightly behind her chair. Angela raised her eyebrow and opened her mouth to speak, when from the corner of her eye she noticed a blink of light. She turned her head to see the device Tirel touched earlier light up. A moment later a hologram of Villen appeared seating in the captain's chair. Mercy opened her eyes in surprise.

"Captain Ti-" Villen started but then his eyes focused on the medic. "Ah, Lady Angela, what a magnificently pleasant surprise!" His eyes moved to the soldier standing behind her. "Captain?"

Tirel saluted. "Sir, Doctor Ziegler wished to speak to you."

Villen returned the salute. Then his eyes focused back on Angela. "Is that so?"

Before Mercy could speak Tirel interjected. "Yes, Sir. I shall leave you to it." And after a slight bow she turned on her heel and headed for the door. Angela watched her go with wide eyes. Just as she was about to leave Tirel turned to the medic and gave her a small nod.

Mercy turned back around to find Villen looking at her, an expression of curiosity on his face. "It is good to see you, Lady Angela." He smiled warmly. "You wished to speak to me? Has something happened?" His smile disappeared and concern filled his voice.

"What?" Angela still was slightly out of it, because of how the whole situation played out, but she finally registered what Villen had said. "Oh, no, no, not at all. "I just-" She sighed. "I was just worried. Wanted to find out how you were doing."

"Well, I am doing a lot better now." He smiled again. "Other than that, things have been taking more time than I had planned, but I have not run into any trouble. Not yet at least. I thank you for your concern though, but you do not need to worry, Lady Angela. I am being careful, just like you asked."

Mercy blushed slightly remembering the short conversation they had before Villen left. She hoped it would not show on the hologram. "That's good." She smiled at the man. "And may I ask what you've been doing?"

"Mostly talking, actually. Meeting with friends and... business partners. Checking intelligence sources." He paused for a moment. "For now everything is in order, thankfully."

"That is good to hear. I'm glad things are going well for you. I'm curious though, as to where have you exactly gone to." She brought her hand under her chin and tapped her index finger on her lips as she wondered the possibilities, focus visible on her face.

Villen chuckled lightly at Mercy's expression. He found it incredibly endearing and had to blink a few times in quick succession to get his mind back on track. "I have just left Brazil, and I am heading up to the United States right now. Hopefully I will not have to be there as long."

"Why? You don't like the States?" Angela asked, in a teasing voice.

Villen chuckled again. "No, I am just eager to get all of this done."

"Oh?" She teased again. "In a rush to get back here?"

The knight kept a straight face this time and answered in a similarly teasing tone. "Well yes, I did promise Lena she would get to fly the Griffin again soon. You said it yourself, she would be very upset if she didn't get her chance to." And with that he winked.

It was Angela's turn to chuckle. "That's true."

Villen smiled. He realized hearing Angela laugh was affecting him more than would admit. "Speaking of which, what has been going on around the Watchpoint? And what have you been up to, Lady Angela? I would love to hear all about that."

* * *

And so they talked, topics of conversation ranging from Angela's research, through changes in the Watchpoint, to what kind of trouble Lena managed to get herself into. Villen was so completely absorbed and was enjoying it so much he lost track of time, until a red blinking light caught his attention. He furrowed his brow, and the shift in his mood was quickly caught on by Angela. "Is something wrong?" She asked and concern was evident in her voice.

"No, I am just almost at my destination." He looked back over at the woman's angelic face and smiled. "Time flies when I am talking with you, Lady Angela."

Mercy also seemed to glance sideways and after a moment an expression of surprised was painted on her face. "Oh dear. It really does. Poor Captain Tirel, I've taken up her office!"

Villen chuckled. "I am certain she will not mind. I am sure she made good use of her time."

Angela smiled hearing the man laugh but then her smile faltered. "Does this mean you have to go?"

The knight's face soured as well. "Unfortunately yes, duty calls." Then he looked Angela in the eyes. "I really enjoyed our talk, Lady Angela, as per usual." His mouth turned into a warm smile. One which Mercy was quick to return.

"So did I, Villen." She replied affectionately.

Villen stroked his beard for a moment. "If you wish, I could have Tirel give you a device able to contact me. It would have an indicator on it, notifying you when I am available and the other way around. Then we could talk more." He hesitated for a moment. "If you wish to, that is."

Mercy's smile widened. "I would like that very much."

A wide grin sprung up onto Villen's face. "Then I will notify Tirel about that. Thank you once again for taking the time to talk to me, Lady Angela."

"It was a pleasure, and thank you for sparing your time for me."

"Anytime." Villen replied feeling himself blush and praising the holograms for not being able to show it. He hesitated again, this time for a bit longer. "Before I go…" His voice was filled with uncharacteristic nervousness. "I am uncertain when I will return to the Watchpoint but I was wondering…"

"Yes?" Mercy inquired after the knight paused.

"Would you like to have dinner with me, when I get back? I know this very good, small restaurant not far from Gibraltar." Villen asked, trying to sound as confident as he could. The seconds he waited for an answer dragged on in his mind. He studied Angela's face, her eyes widened and lips slightly parted. His nervousness grew and fear started creeping into his heart. "Lady Angela?"

Mercy was finally able to collect herself. "Of course, I would love that." A wide smile appeared on her face.

Villen couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. "I am glad to hear that. Until next time then?" He asked, smiling.

"Until next time." And with that their conversation ended.

* * *

The moon was high in the sky as Villen rode through Nevada's desert landscape. The cool air of the night was whipping through his hair, the lonely road in front of him illuminated only by moonlight and the single light of the hover chopper he drove, the low purring of the machine's engine breaking the silence of the night, the dust it kicked up behind him disturbing the calm of the desert. The sleek, black silhouette of the bike levitated closely above the ground, it's chrome finishes reflecting the light of the moon. Villen reached his hand up to the visor he wore, the mask not unlike the one 76 wore all the time, except the bar covering his eyes was green, and the rest jet black. He pressed on its side, the visor zooming in on his destination, visible only thanks to the built-in night vision. A collection of shacks and houses, one of the many ghost towns that emptied in the wake of the Omnic Crisis, people fleeing to seek shelter in the better protected cities. It didn't help that the notorious Deadlock Gang used to raid these areas during their prime.

Villen's coat billowed behind him, as he rapidly approached the small town. He stopped right in the center of it, in the middle of the road. Letting the engine have its one last roar that pierced the night he turned the motorcycle off and dismounted. Straightening his posture he scanned the building around him. Having not detected anything made a tinge of worry appear in his mind. A thought started forming, that maybe his intel was false, but it got interrupted by a familiar tingle in his right arm. Villen smiled under his mask. "You are a difficult man to find, Mr McCree." He said seemingly into the night, slowly turning around to where his sensors pointed him.

A dark silhouette of the cowboy moved in the shadows, accompanied by almost silent click of his spurs. His poncho moved slightly in the night breeze. His gun trailed on Villen, his hat keeping his face in the shadow. "Maybe that's cause I don't want to be found, partner." McCree replied with his gruff voice.

"The thought has crossed my mind." Villen replied, not bothered by the massive revolver aimed at him.

"How about you tell me who you are and what you want, before I shoot you." Even though the cowboy was some distance away, Villen could hear when he cocked his gun. "And where did you get that bike from?"

"I thought you would appreciate having it returned to you." He gestured at the chopper behind him. "As a show of good will." He paused for a moment, turning back towards the cowboy. "I am here on behalf of… our mutual friends."

McCree snorted. "Oh yeah? And who would that be?"

"Overwatch." Villen replied, simply.

There was a brief pause, the eerie silence of the night creeping back to them. "Overwatch is disbanded."

"Is it?" Villen kept his voice calm.

"A few agents means nothing. They will be hunted down and captured." McCree scoffed.

"Seems like they could use all the help they can get." The knight kept his green visor on the cowboys face as steadily as McCree kept his Peacekeeper aimed at him.

"What are you implying?" Villen could barely see the man's eyes narrow.

"You will not get a better chance to get back to them McCree. I know you miss the people, miss helping others. You are afraid that your ties to Blackwatch will make the others push you away." He turned around and started slowly walking away from the cowboy, passing the parked chopper. "But you and I both know you tried to reason with Reyes to stop his destructive crusade. Perhaps it is time the others found out as well." Having walked some distance away, he turned back. McCree was still standing, unmoving, in the same spot, with his gun trailed on Villen as surely as before. "It is not like you have much to lose by trying. And I doubt you have anything better to do in this desert. Unless you want to spend the rest of your life in solitude, hiding in the desert." A strong wind picked up behind Villen and soon after the Griffin emerged from the darkness above, its engines kicking up the dust. Villen raised his voice slightly, so that the cowboy could still hear him clearly. "There is a datapad with a set of coordinates on your bike. There will be a dropship there, waiting for you for the next two weeks. It will take you to your friends. After that, you are on your own, Mr McCree. Do not squander this opportunity, I doubt there will be one like it soon." The Griffin landed by now, the seat lowered from the cockpit. Villen turned and walked to it, hearing the clanging of McCree's spurs as he jogged a bit forward.

"Who the hell are you? And where the hell are you going?" The cowboy yelled after him. He was instinctively holding onto his hat, even though the wind caused by the Griffin was nowhere near strong enough to blow it away.

Villen sat down in the pilot's chair. "Two weeks, Mr McCree. I would have stayed longer, but I have other matters to attend to. And I, for one, am quite eager to get back to those few agents." And with that, he got lifted into the Griffin's cockpit, the aircraft lifting off shortly after, leaving McCree to glance between him and the black chopper left in the middle of the street.


	21. Falcons

**Author's note:**

 **Here's chapter 21! Still can't believe it has been so many already!**

 **Thank you to KeepingThemAtBay for another review! Glad you're enjoying the story. Here's hoping something more will come from the flirting *also wiggles eyebrows*  
Thank you to ShiftFrame for another review! Hanzo will come a bit later unfortunately. Villen would not go to meet him without taking Genji with him. When it comes to the Australian duo, I have to be honest, I still have no idea how to properly inlcude them in the story. I'm thinking about it though!  
And thank you to Vedahzii for another review! It is tough to decide, isn't it?**

 **I hope you will enjoy the chapter! Have a pleasant read!**

* * *

The evening fell upon Cairo, as Captain Fareeha Amari was making her way to her apartment, from the stroll through the city. She was wearing a khaki colored, military short-sleeved shirt over a gray tank top, and a pair of jeans. The short sleeves exposed her muscular arms, glimmering slightly with sweat from the Egyptian heat, that just started dying down. Her black hair, mostly let free with the exception of two small braids on each side of her face, was flowing down to her shoulders. Even though she was mostly lost in thought, her brown eyes were scanning the surrounding area, looking for any trouble. Years of training and service allowed her to keep alert at all times. Under her right eye was the black tattoo of the Eye of Horus, symbol of protection.

Fareeha was 'enjoying' the last day of her enforced leave, because she was overworking herself. Again. She scoffed at the thought. She was perfectly happy at work, and the leave only made her restless and bored out of her mind. Her mood wasn't helped by the orders she just received, the cause of her walk to clear her thoughts. The new assignment didn't sit well with her at all, and her mind was still racing with plans on how to get out of it. It wasn't something she thought about ever before, but there was good reason this time.

Fareeha entered the apartment building, lights on the staircase flickering on. She usually prefered taking the stairs, even though there was an elevator available, and today she wasn't in any particular rush to get home. She was prepared to return to work at the moment's notice throughout her leave, so there wasn't any work left to do tonight. She climbed to her floor slower than normally, the thoughts of her newest assignment keeping her mind occupied. She twisted her key lazily, unlocking the door and entered her apartment, closing the door and twisting the lock behind her. Turning on the light in the corridor, she untied her brown military boots and slipped out of them. She made her way to the living room breathing a heavy sigh and stretching.

"I take it your walk wasn't particularly enjoyable." Came a voice in the middle of her stretch, as she reached the doorframe to the living room. Fareeha's body immediately tensed up, her hands instinctively darting down to get her side arm, even though she didn't have it with her. Her body automatically readied itself to strike when her eyes finally made out the source of the voice. A man, standing, hands behind his back, in front of her living room window. He was facing outside, looking through it. The light coming from the outside illuminated his body, showing his ornate, black plate armor.

Fareeha relaxed a little and straightened her posture. "What are you doing here?" She spoke with a distinct accent, keeping her voice calm.

The man didn't turn around but gestured with his right hand, behind him to Fareeha's coffee table. She spotted a datapad lying on top of it. "Talon is planning to attack one of the old Overwatch facilities Helix has under its protection. I have brought you all the information I have on the raid." He said, calm and stoic.

Fareeha moved into the room and started making her way towards the datapad. "Thank you for the intel, but may I remind you I don't appreciate having my home broken into. Again." She sat down on the sofa and picked up the device, skimming through its contents.

"I remember. But I cannot exactly visit you in your office, can I, captain Amari?" He turned from the window to face her.

Fareeha looked up from the datapad and gave him a small smile. "I suppose not." She looked at the text again and sighed. "You know my superiors will ask about this, again. They really dislike not knowing who my informant is."

"I am certain that lack of that knowledge is a small price to pay for that kind of information." The eyes of his helmet remained focused on Fareeha. "And it is not like you actually know my true identity."

Another small smile appeared on Fareeha's face. "And admitting that it's the Hussar himself that is supplying me with intel would be a surefire way to get myself sacked." Her mood soured. "Especially now…"

"I am sure it would not be hard for you to find new employment, captain Amari." The man nodded, ignoring the change. "I suppose I have done what I came for. I wish you luck, captain." He turned and walked slowly towards the door to the corridor.

Fareeha watched him go for a moment considering her options. She felt like she could trust the Hussar, he helped her a few times in the past, and he provided her with an unique opportunity. While he wasn't a way out of her new assignment, he could possibly help alleviate its effects. "Wait." She said, raising her voice slightly to focus his attention. He stopped and turned to face her. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask. The real question is, if I will answer." He stated calmly.

"Can you contact the _rogue_ Overwatch agents?" Fareeha decided that the best way to go about it, was to keep things straight and to the point.

"I might be able to." He replied. As most of his answers, it too was evasive.

"Could you warn them?" She pressed.

"About what?"

Fareeha hesitated for a moment. "My squad got assigned to hunting them down. If you warned them they would have the advantage."

She couldn't have known this, but Villen was very aware of the situation. It was the main reason he came to speak to her, and the fact that she told him herself shown that her dedication to her former friends was even greater than that to duty. And that meant a lot, since Villen knew that, even though Fareeha would probably dislike the idea of the assignment, she would still give her best to try and complete it.

"I was not aware manhunts were a responsibility of a security firm." He replied after a moment of silence.

"That's what I said when I called about the assignment. Apparently the UN are impressed with the way Helix kept most of the old Overwatch facilities safe, and thwarted many attacks against them. The contract for this _manhunt_ is apparently very lucrative…" There was a tinge of anger in Fareeha's voice, uncharacteristic for the normally collected soldier. Another sign of how this affected her.

"Ah yes, the UN are desperately trying to prove they made the right decision by disbanding Overwatch." He sighed, looking out the window. "All the while this effort could be spent better." He turned his head back towards Fareeha, who was still watching him, expectantly. "Do not worry, Captain. I shall pass your message along."

Fareeha nodded and visibly relaxed. "Thank you. I'm not sure who exactly is there, but I had friends among some of the agents when I was younger. I would hate to do them any harm." She lowered her gaze to the floor and sighed. "But duty is duty."

"They will probably need all the help they can get. Perhaps, since your assignment does not suit you, it is time to seek new employment?" The knight stated, calmly.

Fareeha looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. "What are you implying?"

"I am implying nothing, Captain Amari. Merely asking you consider the possibility of leaving Helix when the time is right." He kept his sight steady on the woman.

Pharah leaned back on her sofa and crossed her arms. "And when would that be?"

The Hussar chuckled. "I am certain you will know when it comes, Captain." He bowed. "Farewell for now, Fareeha Amari and good luck to you." He turned and left the room, only to lean back a moment later, appearing in the doorframe again. "Oh and be sure to give my report to your superiors as soon as you reach your base tomorrow. You may find a refreshing change of orders may follow." And with that he disappeared from sight again.

Before Fareeha could react she heard her apartment door close behind the knight. She was left alone with her thoughts and absentmindedly picked up the datapad he left, scrolling through it as she pondered his words.

* * *

"And so the falcon still watches her young, even though they flew out of the nest long ago." Villen said, feeling a presence nearby. He was standing on a rooftop, looking down at the window, seeing Fareeha, who, having dropped the datapad on the table, was now pacing back and forth in front of. He heard almost silent footsteps behind him and soon enough a figure was standing to his side. A long, hooded, dark blue cloak covered her body, thick, black armor protecting her torso and thighs. Her head watched the window for a few moments, and then turned towards the knight, revealing a black mask, with three dim, cyan stripes arranged in a triangle on its visor, staring back at him. A strange looking rifle was slung over her shoulder.

"You know, it gets really creepy the way you always seem to be in the right place at the right time, not to mention knowing things you shouldn't." She said in a light tone, her voice distorted by the mask, making her sound vaguely robotic.

Villen smiled under his helmet. "I have been told that before. Although recently I heard it adds to my charm."

A chuckle came from the bounty hunter. "Someone must have interesting tastes."

"I suppose that is good for me." He replied simply.

In the silence that followed, the figure looked back at the window. "It has been a long time since I saw her this agitated." She mused. "What did you tell her?"

Villen shrugged and looked back down at the captain. "I merely planted a thought, that perhaps something she thought impossible, was not so."

He saw the triangle on her visor pulse slightly when she looked at the Egyptian captain and then back at him. "There isn't much she considers impossible. There isn't anything that can stop her once she's determined." Villen heard the pride in her voice, even through the distortion.

"Indeed." He looked back at the captain. "Anything but the people she cares for. Or memory of them." He turned his head back to the figure next to him, interlocking the visor of his helmet with hers.

She stood in silence for a few moments. "It was about joining Overwatch, wasn't it?" After receiving a simple nod in response she looked at Fareeha and sighed. "I suppose you knew how I would feel about this. Especially now, that they are outlaws."

"The world needs them, and they need her." The knight replied, keeping his eyes focused on the bounty hunter.

She sighed again. "She would probably have joined anyway, if they didn't disband." Her voice was full of resignation.

"Do not think it a failure on your part. To protect and help those in need is a noble goal. She has the potential to achieve great things, that is something to be proud of." Villen placed his right hand on her shoulder, as she looked down at Fareeha's window. "She is strong and capable, and keeping her sheltered would only cause her more harm."

Heaving another sigh she stepped away from the edge of the roof. "Maybe you're right. I just can't help it…"

Villen approached her again. "It is only natural, to try and protect the ones close to us. But it is their life, and their choice. You may give advice, show the bad sides of the matter, but ultimately it is out of your hands. Sometimes you just have to deal with the choice they make, and support them through it. And be there when they need you."

The bounty hunter laughed bitterly. "And I couldn't even do that."

The knight placed a hand on her shoulder again, turning her to face him. "It is not too late. You should tell her."

She shook her head and lowered it. "No, it is too late. I've waited too long. If I came back now, she would only hate me."

"You cannot know this. I am not claiming it would be easy, or that she will just welcome you back right away. But she deserves to know, deserves the chance to spend time with you again, the chance to make things better between you. You both deserve it." Villen noticed the woman's hand going into her pocket, and heard a faint rustling of paper. He locked his helmet's visor with hers. "I would advise doing so in person. A letter could only make matters worse."

"Do you really think she could forgive me? For leaving her for all those years? Leaving her to grieve after a mother she never really lost?" There was a tinge of desperation in her voice, a need for hope.

"Family ties are strong. It will no doubt require effort on your part, but yes, I do believe she will forgive. I am almost certain of it, in fact." Villen replied, warmly.

"And what makes you so sure?"

Villen took a step back. "I too have lost someone in the past. And I know, I would give a lot to be able to see her again, to get a chance to spend some more time with her. She will be angry, she may push you away at first. But keep trying a few more times, show her you want to get her back. If that does not work, leave her a way to contact you. She will come around eventually, I am certain of it. Patience and persistence will be your best allies in this battle." He turned and started walking away, twisting his head and upper torso to look behind him at the bounty hunter. "Think on it, you did it to escape the life of battle, yet you came back to it. There is no reason to keeping her away from you. And it is not only her help, the others could use. Farewell, and good luck to you. Know that you have an ally in me, whatever you decide." And with that he jumped down from the roof into an alleyway, leaving the woman alone, to think.

* * *

 _She stared at him for a moment as they sat in silence. "I'm half expecting you to know what I'm going to say."_

 _Villen chuckled. "I am not omniscient, you know."_

" _You do seem to know an awful lot, though." Angela said with a smile, slightly narrowing her eyes and pointing her finger at him._

" _Yes, I have been told it can be, unsettling or 'creepy', in the past."_

" _Oh I wouldn't say that, I think it's rather intriguing, it adds to the mystery. Not to mention your enigmatic charm." She said, and Villen could swear she could see a slight red discoloration in her skin even through the hologram. He cursed it silently in his mind, because he could feel himself blushing as well._

 _After looking at her speechless for a few moments, a state of being almost completely new to him, and yet recently more and more common, he cleared his throat. "Well, that is something I did not think I would ever hear."_

* * *

"Lone rider, ma'am. Approaching on a motorcycle from the mainland." A soldier reported through the comms.

"Detain him at the gate. I will be right there." Tirel ordered, and upon receiving confirmation switched the channel. "Inferno meet me in the garage in two. Grab a gun just in case."

"Understood." The deep voice came back through.

Ten minutes later they arrived at the gate in a military jeep. The compound encompassed the entirety of Gibraltar, since people were evacuated long ago, in the midst of the Omnic Crisis. Because of that, to get to the main gate quickly, Tirel and Caesar had to take a car. They stopped near the gate, noticing the pulled over chopper and a silhouette of a cowboy sitting on it, the guards at the gate ready to point their weapons at him at a moment's notice.

Tirel got out of the car, and Caesar did as well, following closely behind her. The burly man towered over her, even though she wasn't exactly short. He was dressed in a white tank top and camo trousers, as Tirel didn't give him enough time to change. In his hand, supported on his shoulder was a massive railgun, a weapon of almost vehicle grade that not many others would be able to lift, let alone operate effectively.

Tirel was in the same uniform she arrived in, as she found it fitting her representative and administrative role. She was armed only with her sidearm however, leaving the sabre in the base. She approached the gate with a datapad in her hand and after exchanging a couple of salutes, was let out and approached the cowboy.

He was smoking a cigar, leaning on the hovering bike, head tilted towards the ground. As the pair approached he turned to look at them. Tirel glanced between him and the datapad she was holding a couple of times. Then she looked him straight in the eye. "I didn't expect you so soon. Come with me." She ordered, in a tone that didn't allow any negotiation and without waiting for an answer, she turned and marched back in. The threatening figure of Caesar made the cowboy just scoff and push of the bike to follow her, the muscular heavy weapons specialist taking the rear.

"What about my bike? I ain't about to leave her out there like that." He said in his gruff voice with a thick accent when they passed through the gate.

Tirel turned to him and narrowed her eyes, only to look to a soldier standing at attention next to her a moment later. "Sergeant, have one of your men take the bike to the garage."

"Yes ma'am!" The sergeant saluted and marched off towards one of his soldiers.

"And don't scratch it! If something happens to her, I will come back for you." The cowboy yelled after the soldier, and turned back to Tirel with a smug smirk. He took another puff from his cigar.

Tirel didn't give him any reaction, only turned and headed back for the car. "Get in" She ordered when they reached it.

The cowboy took another drag from his cigar. "Listen, I'm always up for a ride with a beautiful woman but…" He lowered his voice and leaned forward slightly. "Maybe we could lose the big guy, and get some time to ourselves?" He pointed at the stoic figure of Caesar behind him.

Tirel leaned forward as well. "Get in the car McCree. Contrary to what you might think, I have better things to do than being your welcoming committee." And with that she climbed into the driver's seat and started the jeep.

"Beautiful and with such character." McCree growled turning back to Caesar. "What do you think, partner, by the end of the week?" The smug smile returned to his face, but the other man just stared at him stoically, not betraying any emotions. "Right, not very talkative, are you?" He sighed and got into the passenger seat in front. Caesar climbed into the open back seat, the suspension dipping slightly under his weight. As soon as they started moving, McCree turned to Tirel. "So beautiful, where are we going? I'm sure there are many beautiful places around here we could spend an afternoon in."

"I'm taking you to see Winston, you can talk to him about joining up." She said, ignoring most of what he said. "I was asked by Lord Hussar to pick you up at the gate."

"Lord Hussar? Is that what that spooky, medieval guy is called?" McCree asked. He didn't notice that Tirel's hand gripped the steering wheel ever so slightly tighter at that.

"Mind your words about him." Caesar's calm voice boomed from the back seat. "The man commands much respect and we will not tolerate anyone speaking ill of him."

McCree lifted up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Alright, alright, easy big guy. Then is that the name of that very nice, armored gentleman that visited me recently?"

"Yes." Tirel stated. "And that visit is the reason I am picking you from the gate right now."

"You mean that I wasn't shot on sight for trespassing?"

"No, Lord Hussar would like to know, if you will mention that visit, as a reason you are here." She replied calmly.

"So the others don't know?" McCree let surprise show on his face. "I thought he was there on their behalf."

"Technically he was." After receiving a skeptical look from the cowboy, Tirel sighed and continued. "You chose to go into hiding, and so the members of Overwatch that have reactivated, would have respected your decision. And that's besides the fact that they didn't know where you were."

"Yeah, about that. How did you find me?" McCree narrowed his eyes at the captain.

Tirel shrugged. "We have our ways. The point is, Lord Hussar is giving you the option, whether or not to mention it."

"And does he have any particular preference?" McCree said, taking another drag from his cigar, the ash from the end falling onto the jeep's floor.

"He doesn't. Both options suit him just fine. The option is for you to… perhaps give a better impression on your friends, if you so wished." Tirel responded.

McCree examined her for a moment. "So your Lord is perfectly comfortable with lying to others?"

"You will find that he won't have to. Technically it was you who decided to come back, you were not forced or ordered, just given a reminder and opportunity. And you should know that Lord Hussar excels at keeping secrets. So you won't have to worry about that. I was told to pass your decision on, so that he will be prepared for your next meeting."

"I see." McCree turned his head forward, taking a long drag from his cigar. "So that Lord of yours, he's not here?"

"No." Tirel replied shortly.

"Well then, that gives me time to think about it, doesn't it?" He said, smugly.

"Just don't take to long." She shrugged.

They arrived shortly after at the door to the garage, to find an unexpected welcome in a shape of Lena, who, of course, found out about the commotion at the gate and now was almost jumping in place with excitement. As soon as McCree placed a foot out of the car she blinked next to him, looking up at him wide eyed. "Jesse?! What are you doing here?! I haven't expected you! Where have you been? It's good to see you again! What's been happening?" An excited string of questions and statements poured out of the bubbly woman.

McCree put up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Woah, woah, calm down, little lady!"

Tracer stopped for just a moment, only to take a deep breath. "What are you doing here, Jesse?"

"I uh-" He rubbed his neck and glanced at Tirel, who was now standing a few steps behind Tracer. "I just figured you guys could use some help, is all."


	22. Ice shield

**Author's note:**

 **Phew, finally finished this chapter! My apologies it has taken this long but things seemed arrayed against me on this one. I was really stuck on this chapter, struggling to write it. Add to that a real lack of time. Not to mention the fact that a friend asked me to post my other story, one that I have been writing on and off for some time, mostly when I was stuck on this one and needed a change of scenery, and the few changes that I wanted to make to it before posting turned out much more extensive than I had planned. I really hope you will enjoy this chapter.**

 **Thank you to Vedahzii for another review! McCree getting shot by Tirel is definitely a possibility. You may ship them, but does Tirel? ;]**

 **Thank you to KeepingThemAtBay for another review! I'm keeping Talon's operations mostly vague on purpose, since the Overwatch agents do not really have that much intel on them. While Villen was gone, they managed to run a few small, successful operations against Talon, and the big bad is definitely getting angry at this point.  
They do actually know the basics of who Hussar is, since one of his spies in Talon's ranks betrayed him, but they do not know the full extent of his influence. When it comes to mortal enemies of the Hussar, Talon is that enemy, a shadowy organization to match Villen's own. Although while Villen focuses on gathering as much information as possible, Talon uses their influence in a more… direct way.  
And when it comes to Reinhardt, he's mostly being the glorious German giant we know and love ;]**

 **Thank you to darthwaffles22 for your review! I'm glad you enjoyed the story and welcome to the fold!**

 **Well that is enough rambling! Enjoy!**

* * *

Angela left her quarters with a smile on her face, although she didn't even realise. She had just finished another talk with Villen, and a happy feeling still lingered in her heart. Ever since she first contacted him almost three weeks ago, they talked almost every day, sometimes for longer, sometimes only a few minutes if something unexpected came up for either of them. Angela felt herself growing closer and closer to the man, and enjoyed his company immensely, even if it was just through the medium of holograms. Their talks started to become more relaxed over time, and what started as the occasional awkward compliment turned into more open flirting. Angela's cheeks reddened slightly at the memory, both of them seemed to have a way of leaving the other speechless for at least a few moments, although Villen seemed to have the upper hand in recovering from that. Her eyes glazed over for a moment, but then she shook her head. _"Stop it."_ She scolded herself. _"You're acting like a teenager with a crush! Next thing you know, you'll be giggling like a schoolgirl!"_ She let out an exasperated huff, startling one of the workers that happened to walk by. She gave him an apologetic smile in response to his quizzical look. Then, although the happy feeling still lingered another started encroaching into her heart. One of anxiety and concern, and impatience. Villen wasn't one to divulge his plans easily, and Angela prefered not to press the subject much. And although the knight claimed he was doing mostly safe, business related things, the 'mostly' clause left her feeling concerned. She wanted him to be back already, so she could fully enjoy his company. And to hopefully end the endless teasing Lena put her through. The Brit had a way of hitting just the right spots, leaving Angela red as a beetroot. Her smile returned at the thought of her friend. Although Lena's remarks sometimes left her flustered, her seemingly endless supply of energy and genuine care, kept Angela's mind off less pleasant thing for most of the days. The woman must have had some sort of instinct, always appearing when she was needed, either to cheer Angela up, or to keep her firmly on the ground, when her head was in the clouds.

Just as she finished that thought, Angela heard Tracer's signature giggle, as well as few other cheers. Looking around in confusion, she noticed she was outside, although how she ended up here was beyond her. The voices were coming from around the corner of one of the Watchpoint's buildings, and Mercy decided to investigate.

"Go on, love! Show him who's boss!" Lena's voice came, followed by more people cheering someone on. When Mercy rounded a corner, she noticed a small crowd of people, forming a circle, gathered around a spot in the middle of the small courtyard. She spotted the dim flashes of Lena's accelerator from within the crowd. It was mostly construction workers, but she also spotted Santorini, Wick and O'Neill from the Drakes, cheering with them, as well as McCree leaned back against a building wall, watching intently into the crowd, with a lit cigar in his smirking mouth.

Angela smiled at the sight of the cowboy. She was glad Jesse found his way to them, and he seemed to be acclimating nicely. He did seem to be trying his best to annoy captain Tirel on every possible occasion, and Angela was very impressed with the woman, as her patience seemed to have no bounds.

Mercy approached the crowd and squeezed through to the front, the workers parting to allow her to pass when they noticed her. When she saw what they were so excited about she couldn't help but chuckle.

In the middle of the crowd, their elbows placed on a high metal barrel, were Reinhart and Caesar, locked in an arm wrestle. Their muscles seemed ready to pop, and a thick layer of sweat covered their bodies and faces. Both of them were gritting their teeth, trying desperately to best the other. The struggle however, appeared a stalemate, their hands staying upright, swaying only slightly to either side.

"Angie!" Lena exclaimed, noticing her over the two man, she blinked over to her.

"What is going on here, Lena?" Angela asked, her amusement clear in her voice.

"It's the finals, love! It's so exciting!" She jumped up in place, and fixed her eyes on the pair of burly hands, rubbing her hands.

"The finals? Who organised this tournament?" Angela laughed.

"Who do you think? I wanted to find out who is stronger! And what better way than some friendly competition?" She jabbed her elbow lightly into Angela's side and winked to her. "These two swept the floor with their opponents up to this point! But now look at them."

The look of exertion on both men's faces brought another giggle out of Mercy. The crowd seemed split into two, relatively even, parts, each cheering for one of the contenders. The doctor looked over the two, noticing the trembling of their muscles. "How long have they been at it?"

Lena paused for a moment, closing one of her eyes and looking up, trying to remember. "Uhh, I'm not sure. Like ten, fifteen minutes maybe?"

"And how many rounds?" Angela asked, her eyes widening slightly.

"Uhm, still just the one, love." Lena answered sheepishly, knowing where this was going.

Mercy looked up at the sky and shook her head, letting out a sigh. "You should have warned me, Lena. I would have taken a medkit with me."

Tracer rubbed her neck. "Yeaaah… Sorry about that, love. But!" The Brit piped up again. "We had no injuries thus far! And it's the finals so maybe that would just be a waste of your time, right?" She flashed one of her signature grins.

Angela shook her head again, but couldn't help but smile at the woman. "You are impossible, Lena."

Her grin only widened at the remark. "I have been told that before, you know." She winked.

"Perhaps you should take that as a sign." Mercy snorted, her own smile widening as well.

"Oh, but I like being impossible, love. You should try it some time." Her grin turned more devilish as she leaned towards her, and whispered. "Maybe he'd like that."

A blush formed almost immediately on Mercy's face and she shot the other woman an incredulous glare. Tracer only giggled and blinked away, to the other side of the arm-wrestling men. Angela calmed herself down, and scolded herself mentally for falling prey so easily to Lena's teasing once again.

Suddenly the cheering intensified when Caesar started pushing Reinhardt's hand down slowly. The old knight fought against it with all his strength, but the much younger man gained his advantage and would not let go. A few moments later half the cheers turned into boos, while the other half erupted twice as loudly.

Caesar straightened his posture and extended his hand to his opponent. "Your strength is impressive. I do not believe I have face an opponent quite this fierce ever before. Not many would have held on this long. It was an honor to wrestle with you, sir."

Reinhard took his hand and shook it firmly, his booming laughter echoing of the Watchpoint's walls. "The pleasure is all mine, friend! I haven't had this much fun is some time. A well deserved victory for you, I'd say!"

The two men got quickly surrounded by others, congratulations filling the air. Angela couldn't help but smile at the situation. The Drakes were bonding more and more with the Overwatch team, and that could mean only good things in the future. Suddenly Lena blinked over to her, still clearly giddy with excitement. "That was amazing, wasn't it, love? And see, I was right, there was no need for the medkit after all." She placed her hands on her hips and straightened, clearly proud of herself.

Angela shook her head and smiled at the woman. "Yes, Lena, I suppose you were right. But I would appreciate to be informed if any more of those… tournaments are organized. It never hurts to be prepared."

"Sure thing, love! Maybe you'll even participate, hmm?" Tracer grinned widely.

"Let's not get carried away." Angela chuckled. She looked at her watch and frowned. "Alright, I've got to go, I have work to do. Try not to hurt yourself Lena. Or others, hmm?" She smiled at the woman.

Tracer responded with a giggle. "I'm not promising anything, Angie! And hey!" She jumped up as she recalled something. "Don't get too carried away with work. The conference is on tonight."

"I remember, don't worry. I'm not as scatterbrained as some people." She winked at the woman, getting another giggle in response.

* * *

The freshly renovated common room looked incredibly inviting. Large sofas and armchairs were scattered about, providing ample, comfortable seating. A large display adorned one of the walls, in clear view from almost every point of the room.

By the time Angela arrived, nearly all other agents were already present. Even 76 was sitting in an armchair in the back of the room, away from everyone else as always. The only one that wasn't there was Torbjörn, mostly likely working away in the workshop, probably the only person in Overwatch that was more of a workaholic than Angela. Lena was stretched on one of the sofas, and when she heard footsteps, she turned her head to Mercy. Noticing her, she blinked out of the couch and appeared next to her.

"There you are! I was worried I would have to go and drag you away from your work again." She flashed her signature grin and then blinked again. She appeared sitting on the sofa and patted a place not to her. "I saved you a spot!"

"Thank you Lena." Angela smiled and walked to the couch. "And I wouldn't miss it. I promised Mei I will watch her every conference."

"Yeah, but you would probably just watch it in your office, while doing other things! And this is waaay better." She leaned back on the sofa and stretched her arms.

"You do realize these types of conferences aren't meant as entertainment right? Will you even manage to sit through all of it?" Angela teased her, and Reinhardt, who was sitting on a nearby armchair boomed with laughter.

Lena pouted and folded her arms across her chest. "Hey! I may not always understand all of your scientific mumbo jumbo but I told Mei I will support her and I will!" She then grinned again. "Besides I get to spend more time with my friends thanks to this. Aaaand if I don't understand something, I've got all these great, scientific minds in here to clear things up! Isn't that right, Big Guy?" She turned to Winston, who was sitting nearby in a large tire he dragged from his lab.

The scientist chuckled. "Climate isn't really within my area of expertise, I'm afraid."

When Lena turned to her next, Angela smiled and shook her head. "I'm a doctor, not a climatologist."

Tracer pouted again and sunk further into the couch. "Well… shit." She grumbled, earning herself a laugh from most present, which she also quickly joined.

"Do not worry, Lena." Genji said. "I am sure our combined knowledge will get all of us through the conference, and leave us only more enlightened."

"Yeah." McCree added. "What he said."

"Besides." Angela said. "I'm sure Mei will not make it too difficult to understand. This conference is transmitted world-wide, and a lot of people who are not scientists will be watching it."

The agents talked for a few more minutes, when finally the feed on the display changed to a reporter. The woman was standing on front of a futuristic building, clearly a place where many expos, exhibitions, conferences and a multitude of other such activities occurred. Tracer put up the volume when the woman started speaking.

"... stragglers are filing in now. Professor Zhou, one of the leading climatologists in the world is headlining and organising it, and she will be the first speaker." She looked to the side slightly and listened for a moments as someone clearly spoke to her. "I have received word that the conference is about to begin, so we will now patch you through to our feed from the inside."

After a sharp cut a conference hall filled the screen. The perspective jumped overy so often between different cameras, showing a room filled to the brim with people, last ones to come in moving towards their seats. Winston and Angela pointed out a few various scientists they knew, as one of the cameras panned along the front row. Then the view focused on the raised stage, as Mei approached the podium in to its left side, most of the area in the middle left to display various presentations.

The small woman stopped in front of the podium. She was dressed professionally, in a white dress shirt and a black suit jacket, with a pair of trousers to match. She adjusted her glasses. "I would like to welcome everyone, and thank you all for attending. My esteemed colleagues, some of the greatest minds of our time, who gathered here today to offer their ideas and opinions. And of course everyone else, who is willing to listen, either present in this room or at ho-" The feed from the conference went fuzzy and interference buzzed through the speakers. And then the screen went black.

"Oh what the hell!" Tracer exclaimed!

Then the feed cut back to the reporter in front of the building. "We would like to apologize, we seem to be getting some sort of interference on our signal from the conference room, but we will try to get it sorted as soon-" She interrupted, looking behind her as people started running out of the building behind her. She stopped one of the men. "What is going on?"

"Terrorists!" The man shouted. "I heard gunshots in the main conference room and a few security officers outside got gunned down! I'm outta here!" He pushed past her and run down the street.

"Oh no…" Angela said quietly.

Lena jumped to her feet. "Mei must be in danger! Come we have to help her!" She blinked towards the door, but stopped when she heard a harsh voice coming from the back of the room.

"No." 76 said loudly, and all the attention in the room turned to him.

* * *

"And of course everyone else, who is willing to listen, either present in this room or at home. I doubt I have to say how important our cli- ah!" Mei got interrupted by a sound of glass breaking. Its shards flew down on the sides of the room as five people rappelled down from the dropship that hovered above them. The two security guards by the door could barely react, before they were put down by automatic fire. The screams of panic surged through the conference hall but the people had no way of escape, as two of the soldiers landed in front of the door, gunning down a few more security guards before sealing the door and standing guard by it. Two other ones had a job of crowd-control. Yelling threats at the people and waving their guns around, firing a few shots at first to get the crowd's attention.

The final man made his way onto the stage, keeping his gun trailed on Mei, who was still standing at the podium, just starting to recover from the shock.

"You're coming with us, _professor_." The man sneered. "Don't make this difficult."

"Who the hell are you?! And what do you want with me?" Mei took a step back.

"That's for you and my employer to discuss." He gestured with his gun to the side. "Now move it! Or your _esteemed colleagues_ will start eating bullets."

Mei raised her hands. "Alright! Just don't harm them." She started walking towards the stairs off the stage.

"As long as you cooperate I won't ha- what the hell?!" The man got interrupted by all of the cameras in the room shorting out, crackling with electricity. It was enough to draw the attention of all the soldiers, and suddenly five gunshots rang out, almost simultaneously, followed by another five. The soldiers didn't have a chance to react, and a moment later were all lying on the floor, blood pooling from under them.

Five people in black suits, with white shirts and black ties were standing above the crowd, the rest of the people cowering in fear, shouting in panic. Their hands were raised, each holding a pistol with a smoking barrel. They turned their weapons upwards, firing a few times at the dropship above. The pilot must have taken it as his cue to leave, as the aircraft zoomed off a moment later.

The men pushed their way past the crowd and the people moved out of their way eagerly. One of them, a young man, maybe thirty years old at most, seemed to be in command. He climbed the stage and flashed his badge quickly. "Alright people, listen up. We are from the Aegis Security Forces, and you are safe now. Remain calm for a moment." He brought a hand to his ear. "Talos One calling Olympus. Requesting Chariot and Pegasus, over." He listened for a couple moments. "Roger. Four, five." He turned to two of the men from his unit, lowering his hand. "Get the civies out of here. Three." He turned towards another one. "Grab the package and head to the Chariot. Two." He turned to an older looking, bearded man with a scar running across his left cheek. "Get professor Zhou to the Pegasus. I will deal with the police and… the press"

All the men begun to execute their orders immediately. Mei watched as the one referred to as Two approached her. "Professor Zhou, please follow me. We will take you to safety."

Mei nodded, she had heard of the Aegis Security before. Still quite shocked by what happened she tried to process the situation as she was led out through the door and towards the staircase.

* * *

"What do you mean, no?!" Tracer exclaimed, fixing 76 with a glare.

"What are you trying to accomplish, Tracer." The man asked, his gruff voice remaining calm.

"I'm trying to help my friend! What does it look like?!" Lena's ire was very clear in her voice.

"And how are you planning on doing that exactly? We are fugitives and you want us to move into a major city. It would take us hours to arrive at Beijing, and by that time there are two possibilities. Either the situation has been dealt with, or the building is surrounded by armed forces. And how do we get in then? And more importantly how do we get out?" He eyed Lena from behind his visor and the Brit's shoulders slumped visibly.

"I… I haven't thought about that." She answered quietly.

"Of course you haven't. You're always running off before thinking about the situation." 76 scoffed.

Lena's face lit up with anger again and she opened her mouth to speak, but then Angela appeared between them. She approached Tracer and hugged her. "Lena, I know you are upset. We would all love to help Mei, but unfortunately there really isn't much we can do. We can only hope that the police there are competent enough to handle the situation.

"Winston." 76 turned to the ape, who was now standing nearby. "Let's get to Ops, we may be able to get some intel on what's going on. These attackers got into there somehow, and I want to know how they will leave."

"Right." The scientist nodded and the two of them started walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Reinhardt's shout stopped them, and the knight upped the volume on the display again. The same reporter was on the screen. "I think something is happening."

"We have received reports on more shots being fired inside the conference room. We are waiting for more updates as more and more police are arriving at the scene. Many officers are- hold on." She touched her ear and then turned towards the door, only to see it open and a mass of people started pouring out of it, guided forward by some police officers. "Those are the attendees of the conference." The reporter said, more to the cameraman than the audience. A person in a black suit exchanged a few words with one of the police officers flashing his badge in the process. The reporter spotted him and immediately gestured for the cameraman to follow. "Excuse me!" She called out to the man and he turned towards her, and waited as she approached. "Can we get an update on the situation?" A few other reporters from different station must have deemed this man important at the same time as they all approached, pointing their microphones at him.

The man sighed. "Of course. What would you like to know?" After getting assaulted with an avalanche of questions he raised his hands in a calming gesture and then pointed arbitrarily at one of the reporters.

"What is the situation like, right now?" The reporter asked.

"The situation has been resolved and the threat neutralized." The man answered calmly, and then pointed out another reporter.

"What did the attackers want?"

"I am not at liberty to discuss that."

"How was the situation diffused so quickly."

"Through a fortunate coincidence, my team and I were present in the conference hall at the time of the attack. An opportunity presented itself and we took it to incapacitate the attackers."

"What were you doing there? And who are you?" One of the reporters asked, and the rest of them seemed to push the microphones closer, as if to avoid missing out on any information.

"I am a member of the Aegis Security Forces. We were escorting an Aegis dignitary to the conference." The man replied simply.

"Which dignitary was that?" The female reporter from earlier asked, almost immediately.

"That is not something I am at liberty to discuss."

"Is that because it was the notorious Ghost of Aegis?"

"No, it's just company policy. And I wouldn't call Mister Sterna notorious. Now excuse me, I have important matters to attend to." He pushed through the crowd, denying any more questions, from the still following reporters.

"Well that was… unexpected." Lena said, staring blankly at the screen.

"Seems the situation has been dealt with." 76 shrugged and went out of the room.

"I think I've heard of Aegis before. Can't quite place it though." Tracer mused, scratching her head.

"I'm not surprised, you've heard of them." Winston huffed as he stroked his chin. "They are mostly known as Aegis Security Systems, the world's biggest manufacturer of any type of, well… security systems. They are the leader on the market in terms of new technologies. Seems they have their own private force to keep their people safe. Although I am not surprised, from what I've heard they are fiercely protective of their secrets."

"What about that Ghost of Aegis thing? What is that about?" Lena inquired further.

"Hmmm." Winston rubbed his chin. "I think I've heard that term before."

"Ah yes!" Reinhardt boomed suddenly, as he remembered something. "Casimir Sterna is his name. He's the owner of Aegis. They call him a ghost because he appears suddenly and unexpectedly in some places and then just disappears again. And because most people don't know what he looks like. The press have been trying to get his picture for years!"

"I've heard of him too, he is a known philanthropist." Angela joined in. "He donated obscene amounts of money to various hospitals, universities and other organisations all around the globe. The people he helped never talk about how he looks like, which I suppose helps with the whole 'Ghost' image."

"That's pretty weird, isn't it?" Lena asked, and giggled as everyone in the room agreed.

Then the doors to the common room opened and Tirel marched in. "I have a message from Lord Hussar."

* * *

Mei relaxed in her seat as the side door of the small dropship she was taken to closed, and she felt the machine take off. The man who escorted her here sat across from her. He had explained to her that she will be taken to a nearby airport, and from there she will have the opportunity to be transported anywhere she wished. He stroked his graying beard for a moment and smiled.

"Now that it is safe, we may talk, Professor Zhou. It is an honor to meet you." He bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you." Mei responded eyeing the man curiously.

"I am sure your friends at Overwatch will be glad to know you are alright." Mei's eyes widened for a moment and she straightened her posture.

"Overwatch is disbanded, Mister…?" She stated calmly, sounding almost rehearsed at this point.

The man chuckled and raised his hand in a calming gesture. "It is alright. My name is Villen Borch and I am an ally of your friends. I know very well they are operating again."

Mei narrowed her eyes and studied him, suspicious. "And how do I know that's true? And not some clever ploy to get me to talk?"

Villen smiled. "I doubt there is much you could tell me, that I do not already know, professor. And my help during Talon's attack is a sign of my good will."

"How do you know they were Talon? Do you know why they are after me?" Mei asked, forgetting about caution.

"They are hunting former Overwatch agents. It is as simple as that. Because of this I would ask that you join your friends at Watchpoint Gibraltar. You will be much safer there." The man replied calmly.

"You're probably right. Do you know why they want the former agents dead?" The professor inquired further.

"I do not exactly. Most likely they are eliminating any possible competition. If they kill off all the veterans before the UN finally wakes up and reestablishes the organization they will have a much easier time dealing with it." Villen took out a communication device. "But for now, I think we should contact our friends. I am certain they are worried about your fate." He smiled, and pressed a few buttons on the device.

* * *

"Oh my goodness, Mei, are you alright?" Angela asked, concern clear in her voice, as well as on the faces of everyone present in the room, as the climatologist's face appeared on the display.

"Yes, I'm quite alright. Thanks to my new friend here." She looked to the side and Villen leaned into the camera

"Good day." He smiled. "I will provide a transport for Professor Zhou to reach you. Expect her soon."

"You're coming here Mei? That's great!" Tracer hopped in place, concern replaced by happiness. Other agents voice their agreement.

Mei looked at Villen for a moment and then back at the screen. "It's the safest bet. Those attackers were after me. I think we all need to stick together."

"After you?" Winston huffed. "Do you know why?"

Mei looked to Villen again and the man spoke up. "I have a few suspicions, but nothing concrete for now. But I will look into it." He looked up as if someone outside of the view of the camera said something to him. "We are almost at our destination so we will close this call for now. You can all talk more with, Professor Zhou when she gets to the Watchpoint."

He moved his hand towards the device that was transmitting the call when Angela's voice stopped him. "Will you be coming back as well?"

Villen looked at the woman and gave her a sad smile. "Unfortunately there is still some things I must do first." Seeing Angela's expression drop he quickly added. "I will do my best to get it done as fast as possible. I do look forward to getting back" He bowed his head slightly. "Farewell for now. Hussar out." And the screen turned black.

Tirel detached a device from the display that channeled the signal to it and excused herself, leaving the room with a brisk pace. McCree jogged after her, eliciting a groan from her, that could be heard from the corridor.

Tracer giggled when she heard that and she blinked over to Angela, nudging her in the side with her elbow. "Your boy Villen can do a lot, huh?" She asked with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah…" Angela said quietly, still recovering from the conversation. Then her mind clicked back into place and she scowled at Lena. "He's not my boy, Lena!"

Tracer giggled and blinked away. "Oh yeah, sure he's not. You have seen him today already, and still you lit up like a very bright christmas tree when he showed up now. I was worried you would feint!"

"Lena!" Angela growled stomping over to the woman. Tracer only giggled and blinked away again, out the door. "You come back here, young lady!" Mercy yelled, as she jogged out after her.

When the two women left the room, the three remaining men looked to each other and erupted with laughter.


	23. A coming storm

**Author's note:**

 **A bit late, and a bit shorter but the next chapter is here! I will try to get the next one sooner, but as per usual I am not promising anything, especially since I'm rather busy with work at the moment!**

 **Thank you to Vedahzii for your review! Villen has as many faces as he needs. You don't stay hidden from the world this long if you can't hide among others.**

 **Thank you to SmithDan/darthwaffles22 for your review! The Aegis focuses more on manufacture of security systems, but they maintain a small force of security mostly to protect their assets. I wouldn't even put them in direct competition of Helix. When it comes to consistency and speed, I am trying my best, but it goes how it goes!**

 **Thank you to KeepingThemAtBay for your review! Glad I was able to surprise you! When it comes to Mei, I always imagine her as very shy when among friends when she gets to be herself, but having that "it's on" mode when she gets shit done. Kinda like Hooks from the Police Academy if that's any help.**

 **Thank you to NoOneInParticular17 for your review. While I don't quite understands still what you meant by one of those stories, from what we talked you seem to have enjoyed the story as it went on. I should probably put some sort of disclaimer on the first chapter that the writing gets better over time. Or I should just sit down and rewrite the beginning.**

 **Well that is enough rambling or this intro will be longer than the chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"BRB! Dinner break!" Hana Song pushed herself away from her desk with a satisfied sigh, right after putting her stream into away mode. The day was going great as usual. A weekend ment no training with MEKA, and instead she was free to stream all day, keeping her following growing. Its days like these that she loved, spending time alone in her apartment, away from the busyness of everyday life.

Humming, she made her way into the kitchen. At first, she didn't even register the silhouette standing by the window. She always felt safe here, not many people knew where she lived, and the apartment building was one of the more secure in Seoul. She moved to the counter and then her brain caught up. Her humming stopped and she twisted around to face the intruder. The stoic figure of a man clad in black, ornate plate armor remained unmoved, his visor staring silently back at her, his hands hidden behind his back. "Who the fuck are you?! How did you get in here?!" She didn't expect anyone to enter her home unnoticed, but in MEKA she learned to always be prepared. That's why, while pretending to back away out of fear, she maneuvered towards one of the small drawers. Using her body to block his line of sight as best she could, she opened it behind her, and reached in. But then a sense of dread moved over her when the gun she was looking for wasn't there. Her brain raced for a reason why, and a solution to get out of the situation, when the man, who up to this point was simply tracing her with his head moved his hand from behind his back and lifted it. He was holding her missing weapon, one of her signature pink and black blasters, with a small pink bunny keychain attached to the grip. He wasn't pointing it at her however, holding it by the barrel instead.

"Are you looking for this?" He asked calmly. Then, he tossed the gun to her, and Hana barely caught it, out of sheer surprise. "There is no need for it, Miss Song. I have not come here to harm you."

She looked at him wide-eyed for a few more moments, before she managed to collect herself. She adjusted her grip on the pistol, before raising it and pointing it back at the man. He placed his hand back behind him, and remained otherwise unmoved. "Yeah, forgive me if I don't believe that. Now I will ask again. Who are you, and how did you get in here?" Her voice turned cold and calculated, as she slipped into combat mode.

"Many call me Hussar. As to how I got in… I have my ways, Miss Song." He answered calmly, unphased by the gun pointed at his head.

"Hussar? That vigilante? What are you doing here?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

The man inspected the room they were standing in. "Tell me, Hana Song, if you had the choice, would you leave MEKA?"

"What?" She scoffed, and gave him a look of disbelief.

"It is a simple question." He stated calmly. "You were drafted to defend your country. You did not join willingly. If you had the option, would you leave?"

"Why are you asking me this? And more importantly, why do you even expect I will answer?" She tightened her grip on her gun, clearly growing irritated. "You can't just show up in my home, out of nowhere, and ask me questions like that!" She aimed more carefully at his head. "I could just shoot you right now, and I would probably be named a hero for it."

"By some perhaps. Why have you not done it then?" He spread his arms slightly. "Go on. If it is what you believe is a right course of action, I will not stop you." Hana hesitated, her hand starting to shake a little. "You are part of the military, Miss Song. I am certain there would be a promotion waiting for you for this. As well as the appreciation from the UN and various law enforcement from all around the globe for ending their little problem with me." He remained stoic, his visor firmly set on watching her eyes. "I cannot say the same for the people I help, however. The people I saved, while those who should be protecting them are wasting their time hunting me, and others like me. Because we act without their oversight, and may one day become dangerous. Because we undermine the people's faith in them." He paused for a moment, and shifted his posture slightly, as if to put even more of his focus on her. "You asked me why I came here, Hana Song, and the answer is simple. You are given the choice, and the gun in your hand is your way of making it. Is it the people that matter to you more, or your social standing? If the information that you just let me walk away would ever to get out, there is a high probability that you would lose your position at MEKA, and maybe even your freedom. But on the other hand, if you shoot me, or bring me in, I will not be able to save any more people. So choose, Hana Song, before the choice is made for you."

The knight's speech rattled her to the core, and her hand was now visibly shaking. Her mind was in turmoil as she struggled with herself. She had worked hard all her life to get where she was, and now came the possibility that it might have all been for nothing. But there was another notion in her thoughts, and it was growing in strength more and more with each passing moment. The few minutes they spent staring each other down dragged on insufferably, the tension in the air growing steadily.

Finally, Hana lowered her gun and sighed heavily, letting her head drop. "I may have started this to be the best, but I kept with it for my fans. Every time there is a terrorist attack somewhere, I can't help but think how many of them died…" She looked back up at the knight. "If there is a chance you save but a few of them, I say it's worth it to let you go."

The man gave her a slight bow. "A noble choice, Hana Song. You have realised what it means to be a hero, to act against evil, to make sacrifices so that others do not have to. You have already chosen to fight, instead of standing idly by. There is one thing, however, that you have yet to realise."

"And what is that?" She asked, no longer frightened or angered by the knight's presence, but instead growing more curious and intrigued by the mysterious figure.

"MEKA is holding you back. You have the potential to do a real difference in the world, and using it to fight one enemy every few years is a waste of it. Not to mention, that action is the best teacher." He replied, his voice as calm as ever.

Hana smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "So what do you propose I do? Steal one of the mechs and run around on rooftops, fighting crime?"

A low chuckle emanated from the knight. "No, I do not believe that would be very effective. Not for long anyway. There are better ways to go about this, Miss Song. A good warrior waits for the right opportunity to strike. But one also has to look for it, and be able to recognise it, when it comes. Such well placed strike can be the difference between victory and defeat. Stagnation or growth. Life or death."

Hana sighed. "I liked you better when you weren't speaking in riddles."

The Hussar chuckled again. "Keep your eyes open for the right opportunity, Hana Song, and seize it when it comes. Do not forget, there are more people out there, who would fight the evil that comes." The whole apartment was suddenly plunged into darkness, the sudden shift in lighting startling Hana. "You have a spirit of a warrior. Do not allow anyone to break it." The voice came from the darkness, although its source was moving.

Hana took a few careful steps forward in the dark, careful not to bump into anything. And then, just as suddenly, the lights turned back on, the brightness harsh on her eyes. When they readjusted a moment later, Hana noticed that the knight was nowhere to be seen. A quick scan of the apartment revealed no sign of him either. It did, however, remind her of her stream, and she busied herself with preparing a quick dinner, the thoughts of her encounter swirling around in her head. Despite them weighing heavy on her mind, she pushed them away when she sat back down in her chair, in front of her computer. Her smile came back, as well as the cheery attitude.

The fans came first, after all. And this time, even more so.

* * *

The agents of Overwatch, joined by the Drakes, were gathered in the situation room of Watchpoint: Gibraltar. In the middle of the room, on top of a large, round table floated a holographic map of an island.

"Alright, listen up." 76 leaned on the table, his red visor scanning the people in the room. Despite his secretive nature, he proved himself a capable tactician, so he took on a role of commanding in battle. "Winston and Athena managed to decrypt some Blackwatch files, and found one of their black sites. It is located right here…" He pointed, and the map zoomed into a city, then further onto one of the taller buildings, and then down into the earth, highlighting the layout of the underground facility. "Right underneath Valetta in Malta."

"A black site right under a major city?" O'Neill let out a sharp whistle. "That's bold."

"Not many would think to look there." 76 shrugged. "Anyway, from the information we got, it seems they were experimenting with some sort of new sensor and surveillance technology. It may be useful to go in, and search the area."

"Can we assume there is anything worth our time left there?" Soong, the cyborg, computer whiz, spoke up, his voice sounding slightly robotic.

"Apparently, the facility was abandoned in a rush, as Overwatch were evacuating Malta before the massive omnic invasion. There are no records regarding salvage operations after the island got retaken." 76 replied, straightening his posture. "It's possible all the equipment is still there. Or some of it, at least."

"So what's the problem?" Lena piped in. "We go in, take the stuff and come out, easy as pie."

76 looked over to Tirel, who was standing to his left, and the woman took a step forward. "The problem is, that our sources indicate that Talon know about the base, and are mobilizing to raid it. It is likely they will field a sizeable force, as this is quite a valuable target for them."

"Intriguing, that when we learned about the base, Talon has done so as well." Genji stated calmly. "A most curious coincidence."

"The probability of it being a trap is 93.64 percent." Soong added in agreement.

"Indeed. I doubt that surfacing of this information is an accident, as well as the fact that they seemed reckless in allowing us to gain intel on their mobilization so easily. Likely we would have to face a much bigger force that they are letting us believe. However, we do know that the information about the facility is real, and that raises another question…" Tirel continued, moving her eyes between the agents.

"Where did Talon get Blackwatch data from." McCree added, scratching his beard.

"Exactly." Tirel nodded. "Almost all their data seemed to disappear the moment the division was revealed, and so far only pieces of data were found hidden in between regular Overwatch data, and heavily encrypted. Even our intelligence has only scraps. But more and more sign point to the fact that Talon somehow has access to a lot of their data, and that is most troubling."

"So we either go into a trap, or let Talon walk away with experimental technology, most likely giving them yet more advantage over us." Reinhardt's booming voice echoed through the room. "Not much of a choice, my friends."

"Agreed." 76 responded. "We have no way of knowing what kind of forces they will throw at us, so going in could be suicide. But if we were to succeed, we get the tech. From what Winston and Athena found out, supplemented by McCree's general knowledge of Blackwatch operations, it could be worth the risk. New surveillance methods could help us gather the much needed intel on Talon's operations."

"How do we know they haven't already taken what they needed, and this is simply bait?" Sarah, the youngest of Drakes, spoke up.

"We don't." Tirel replied, simply. "Still, even if they cleaned the facility already, there is a chance here to deal a serious blow to their forces, not to mention the chance that the equipment is still there. It is obvious Talon wants us there, on their terms, and they want us bad. That increases the probability that the black site wasn't raided before, or they would risk us discovering it."

"High risk, high reward. Just how I like it." McCree mused, running his finger over the grip of his Peacekeeper.

"We need a plan, and a good one at that. We are going in blind already, and I don't like the idea of us throwing our lives away for something that may not even be there." Mercy, who was quietly staring at the map up until then, joined into the conversation.

Tirel nodded in agreement. "We have some advantages over Talon. They likely don't know of the alliance we formed, which means they don't know the Drakes will be supporting you. That gives as a much needed element of surprise. Another thing is experience. The bulk of Talon's forces are ordinary grunts, although we are bound to meet their more elite units as well. The most strategically important advantage we have are energy shields. The tech is expensive, so our enemy won't likely have many deployed on the field. Between Reinhardt and Inferno, and Winston's portable generators we have some very good protection."

"Alright." 76 spoke up after Tirel finished talking. "Time is of the essence here, so let's not delay. While we come up with a strategy to tackle this, I want the rest of you to prepare. Winston, you and Mei will stay in the Watchpoint. I need someone to monitor the situation on the battlefield. Prep some of those shield generators, as Captain Tirel said, we will need them. Torbjörn, bring as many turrets as you can carry, their firepower will be useful. The rest of you know your roles so suit up. We leave in an hour. Get to it and bring your best. We will need it."

The agents started to file out one by one from the room. The Drakes all looked to Tirel, and after receiving a nod of confirmation also started leaving. The captain then turned to 76 and Winston. "I will join you in a moment. I will make a report to Lord Hussar, and maybe get us some reinforcements." With a slight bow, she turned on her heel and marched out of the room.

* * *

"A difficult situation, Captain. Still, I agree with the assessment that it may be worth the risk. We could always use more intelligence on Talon's operations." Villen said, running his hand through his beard.

Tirel bowed her head slightly. "I was wondering if we could dedicate some of our forces to this attack. It would greatly increase our chances of success."

"Indeed. They will take a moment to mobilize, since they are not equipped for urban warfare. I kept the Banners ready to respond to omnic threats in Russia, just in case. Still, you can have two Banners at your disposal. Coordinate with Henry. There will still be some time during which you will fight alone, captain. Establish a landing zone for our troops before pushing to the objective."

"Yes, my Lord." Tirel bowed.

"I will try to join you before you engage, but I fear I may be too far away. I wish you luck, just in case."

"Thank you, my Lord." She bowed again and her hologram disappeared as the connection broke.

"A trap set up by Talon… Let us find out how much Talon wants Overwatch destroyed. Stribog, alter our course. We are heading for Malta."

* * *

The Jackdaw lifted of the deck, the quick, stealth helicopter zipping away quickly towards its destination. With the space now free, a bigger dropship rolled out of the hangar. It's engines begun to spin up, kicking up dust from the surface of the deck.

76 entered the cockpit, finding Soong in the pilot seat. "Liftoff in 5."

"Understood." The cyborg replied, performing the last checks on the aircraft's systems.

The Soldier wandered back into the crew compartment of the sizable ship. Everyone was busying themselves, checking over their equipment and weapons. "Tracer, Smoke and Blaze are going to secure our LZ as much as they can, but be prepared for heavy opposition. Reinhardt I want you on the ramp, shield up. Torbjörn, set up a few turrets when we leave, I want the dropship secure, we need to have a way out. Rest of you know your roles."

"What about you, big guy? Shouldn't you be a bit more armored if you're going to be in the line of fire?" McCree gestured to Inferno, who was wearing an armored vest, his muscular arms clearly visible. The giant man simply smirked, rolled his shoulders and pressed a button on his wrist band.

He seemed to grow in size as a mech suit started forming around him, seeming pooling out of the massive backpack he wore. When the transformation complete, he matched Reinhardt in his armor in height. A pair of chain guns appeared under his arms, each fed with an ammunition belt from his backpack. The jet black, bulky armor covered him completely, topped by a skull-shaped helmet, with glowing red eyes. A moment later the helmet retreated, revealing Caesar's face, looking almost comically small in comparison to the suit. He lifted his hand, looking over the underslung chain gun carefully. Then his eyes met McCree's and he smirked again. "Indeed."

The cowboy whistled, impressed. "Well big guy, looking forward to seeing you in action."

With that, the dropship lurched off the ground, and sped forwarward towards Malta, where the Overwatch agents and the Drakes would have their limits tested.


	24. Killing ground

**Author's note:**

 **A new chapter is here and longer than ever! Woohoo! This one has been brewing in my head for some time, and still I added new ideas as I wrote.**

 **Also the story has reached over a hundred followers! Thank you very much to everyone who supports the story, it really warms my heart to think so many people enjoy it!**

 **Thank you to KeepingThemAtBay for another review! I hope you will enjoy the chapter. Rodney "Forge" Soong is one of the Drakes, specifically their computers and mechanics expert. When it comes to pronunciation, it's difficult for me to write it, since I'm not a native English speaker. I suppose it's like a long u, as in hoof. Maybe. Honestly, you would probably find it, since all the surnames (and some names) of the Drakes (with the exception of Tirel, who I came up with much earlier) are actually references to other works of fiction.  
Thank you to a Guest for your review! Is there a traitor? Maybe there isn't. But maybe there is, who knows. Nothing is certain.  
**

 **Once again thank you everyone for your continued support.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Drop in 10!" Soong yelled from the cockpit, and everyone got out of their seats, taking their positions either in front of the main ramp, or the two side ones.

76 brought a hand to his ear and opened a channel. "Smoke, what's your status."

"LZ still clear, sir." Sarah's voice came back through to him. "No movement. Maybe they didn't expect us to land this far out."

"Good. Keep an eye out, they will know soon." The Soldier responded. Having a sniper in an advantageous position will surely be helpful in the battle to come.

"Understood, sir. Smoke out." And the radio clicked off.

Everyone present in the dropship seemed almost unnaturally calm. It wasn't the first time any of them marched into battle against overwhelming odds, facing death head on. Even though the Drakes didn't ally themselves with Overwatch that long ago, they run a couple of small missions together, and thanks to that now they all knew they could count on each other.

Scorch, the Drakes' demolitions expert, hoisted up Inferno's massive railgun and attached it to the mech-suit clad man's backpack. Seeing that, McCree snorted. "You guys don't fuck around do you? Isn't that a bit too much firepower?" He said, with a smug smirk on his face, letting out a puff of smoke from his cigar.

"No." Caesar replied simply.

"I'll let you in on a little secret." The Italian said, tossing a grenade up in his hand. "There's no such thing as overkill. And when things go boom!," He mimicked an explosion. "Oh there is nothing better!"

"Scorch, sometimes you really make me consider giving you some medication, you know." Ember, the team's medic interjected. Then he turned to Angela. "Not too mention, as I'm sure Mercy will confirm, we have better things to do than treating self inflicted injuries."

"Hey!" Santorini pointed with a long tube, stylised to look like a stick of dynamite, although no doubt much more powerful, that appeared in his hand seemingly out of nowhere. "It's been years since last such incident, you could really lay of me. I'm no amateur!"

Beckett crossed his arms over his chest. "You're a walking pile of explosives, Scorch. Incidents are bound to happen."

"5 to drop." Before they could continue, Soongs voice came from the cockpit once again, and Tirel approached them.

"Alright, ladies, quit your bickering and take places!" She ordered sternly, and both men straightened to attention for a moment before turning and moving to their designated positions.

"I love a woman that can get what she wants." McCree said, keeping his smug smile up.

"And I hate a man that gets on my nerves." She shot back, rolling her eyes, and moved to her place.

The cowboy grinned, spinning his revolver in his hand, and also taking his place by one of the side ramps.

A short while later, the dropship hit the ground and the ramps flung open, the agents spilling from the inside, quickly scanning and securing the immediate area. Torbjörn begun setting up his turrets around the dropship, to help keep it secure, a small, automated transport vehicle that stored them following him around. 76 moved his hand to his ear, his visor scanning the area. "Smoke, status."

"Movement further into the city, looks like you got some attention. Three squads, moving towards you." Sarah's voice came back through the radio.

"Understood, stay in position, report any further changes and keep an eye on the LZ when we leave. Tracer, Blaze, you're on harassment duty." The Soldier gave orders as if it was second nature to him.

"No problem, love!" The Brit chirped through the radio.

"With pleasure." O'Neill responded.

"Genji." 76 turned to the cyborg. "Scout ahead."

The ninja simply bowed his head and rushed off, deftly climbing one of the nearby building only to disappear on the roof.

"Turrets ready." Torbjörn reported, spinning his metal claw.

"Let's move out!" The Soldier ordered.

They split up into two teams of five. The team of Overwatch agents, lead by 76 and consisting of him, Reinhardt, Torbjörn, McCree and Mercy were the main force, since they were what Talon expected.

The second team, led by Tirel, and consisted of her, Inferno, Scorch, Ember, and Forge, who joined them after securing the dropship. They were the supporting team, ready to pounce on the unsuspecting enemy, and keep their flank secure. They walked off one of the side streets, Inferno staying in front, his mech suit ready to soak up enemy fire.

A few moments later they heard weapon's fire, as the Overwatch team engaged one of Talon's squads. They moved forward still, setting up for a flanking attack.

"Inferno, you've got a squad coming your way. Street to the right." Smoke's voice came over the radio, the sniper watching the city from her vantage point.

"Understood." The burly man answered.

"Let's make sure they don't get to where they going. Ready for an ambush." Tirel commanded.

And so they waited until the Talon forces got closer, a small camera they placed around the corner showing them the squad approaching. They were split up on both sides of the street, clearly watching out for threats, but they were moving fast, clearly eager to try and outmaneuver the Overwatch agents. When Tirel deemed them close enough she gave a sign to Inferno. A white shield bubble sprang to life around him, as he dashed around the corner.

Before the Talon force had any time to react, a hail of bullets rained upon them. Inferno kept one chaingun on each side of the street, felling four grunts before they could take cover. The rest of the Drakes joined him quickly, taking cover either behind the giants, or the various alcoves of the ruined buildings, laying accurate fire from their own pulse rifles, quickly wiping out the squad. The silence that fell over them indicated, that the Overwatch group didn't have too much trouble either.

The Overwatch team then encountered the third squad of Talon, taking them by surprise as they were rushing to help their own companions, caught off guard by how swiftly the agents dispatched them. Reinhardt's shield kept everyone safe, while 76, Torbjörn and McCree put soldier after soldier down, Mercy healing any wound caused by a stray bullet that harmed the agents.

"Glorious! Reminds me of the old days!" Reinhardt boomed after sending the last Talon grunt flying with his hammer.

"Let's hope it doesn't get as bad as then, hmm?" Mercy responded, floating over to him, the golden beam of her staff enveloping the old knight.

"Let's keep moving." 76 interjected before they could talk any more, and they marched off down the street.

* * *

"Can we not just go around this plaza?!" McCree yelled, before leaning around a corner for a moment to fire a few rounds, just to retreat back when a hail of bullets answered. Talon had several well fortified positions across from them, as well as several heavy gun emplacements. Their quick progress up to this point ground to standstill, as they battled over the large open area.

"We need it secured for our reinforcements to land on!" Tirel answered to the radio, her squad laying down fire from a position parallel to theirs.

"Genji is looking for a way around. We may be able to flank them." 76 answered as he leaned from cover to fire a rocket from under his rifle, and take out a few opposing soldiers, before ducking down as autocannons turned their fire towards him.

From the other side Scorch tossed a grenade that seemed to soar through the air on its own, greatly extending his range, and landed right in the middle of one of the emplacement, engulfing it in a massive explosion. But not long after the gun was replaced with another one.

"They must have thought we will land here." Forge said through the comms. "They are ready to stop an army here!"

"Genji what's the status?" 76 asked, raising his hand to his ear.

"Their troops are many in number, and they are spread throughout the city. I see no way to flank them without them realising. I will attempt to drag some of their forces away." The cyborgs calm voice came back in reply.

"Yeah, love, that's not really working!" Lena suddenly cut in, her voice muffled by a sound of gunfire.

"Yeah, be careful, they have enough troops to just send a detachment after you, without weakening their position much." Blaze's voice joined her, the two of them fighting hand in hand in a different part of the city.

"Genji, move to support Tracer and Blaze instead. Sounds like they could use some assistance." 76 ordered.

"At once." The cyborg responded.

"We need a plan!" McCree yelled again. "We can't just sit here, waiting for more of them to show up!"

Then a dark shaped zoomed above them almost faster than they could notice, and a series of explosions rocked the Talon's positions, kicking up heaps of dust and covering them with smoke. Both 76 and Tirel raised their hands almost at the same time, in a halting gesture, and both teams ceased firing. The short silence that followed was quickly broken, when the Talon emplacements lit up with sounds of gunfire, the flashes of guns visible through the smoke. Soon after, however, followed a series of screams, and another series of explosions shook the ground. A few more screams, and a thumping sound of an autocannon later, silence fell on the plaza.

A brilliant golden light started to shine through the smoke, growing larger and larger, indicating its approach. Both teams raised their weapons at the shape, and Reinhardt and Inferno activated their shields.

Then the light disappeared, and as the shape crossed the boundary of dust it was revealed to be a familiar figure. "I hope I am not too late." Villen's calm voice came over the radio, as he made his way across the plaza towards the two teams.

* * *

" _We're approaching our target. Scans indicate our forces are engaged with the enemy here." A holographic map sprung to life in front of Villen, showing the plaza and positions of both friendly and enemy troops around it. "Talon seems to be heavily entrenched here, it will take time to dispose of them."_

" _Good thing we're here then. Ready missiles. We will pass over the plaza, and I will drop into the Talon's positions. I want you to fire a salvo when you pass, and then another when you turn around. Then provide any support you can to me. The element of surprise is on our side here, and with the chaos it will cause, we should be able to swiftly uproot the enemy." Villen said, unbuckling his seatbelt, and grabbing his folded sword from his belt._

" _Is it really wise, sir? Dropping right into enemy positions?"_ _Stribog asked, making his concern clear in his voice._

" _They will be in disarray, and I will have your support. Besides." He smiled under his helmet. "I need to test these new wings."_

" _Is this really the best way to do that?" Vea joined into the conversation._

" _They passed preliminary testing with flying colors, and you know I like to field test my inventions as soon as possible." The knight responded, keeping the smile on his face._

" _I could list several occasions that almost got you killed, Sir."_

" _You are being overly dramatic, Vea. I was never that close to dying." Villen chuckled. "And are you more afraid for my skin, or yours?"_

" _I do not require this suit to function, I can easily find a different host." The AI sounded almost offended._

" _Well, you must like it here then, seeing as you did not leave." Villen said, earning himself a incredulous scoff from Vea. Something he found incredibly amusing._

" _Get ready, Sir." Stribog interjected, and Villen scanned the map, seeing they were rapidly approaching the target._

" _I am ready." He replied to the AI, bracing in his seat, his muscles tensing as he readied himself to jump._

 _A moment later the canopy slid open, and Villen leaped out of the cockpit. The momentum carried him forward, and he plummeted towards the ground. With a brilliant flash of golden light, greatly dimmed by the series of explosions below, a pair of dragon wings sprung out of his back, opening like a parachute behind him, greatly slowing his fall. He headed straight into one of the enemy emplacements, folding his wings after being sufficiently slowed, activating the jump boosters in his boots just before he hit the ground. Talon forces were still disoriented by the explosions as he landed among them, his sword already in his hand, glowing a dim blue light. He sliced right through the autocannon crew, and then shredded the gun itself, before boosting away, spreading his wings, heading for another group. The upgraded wings now could stay almost permanently, and the hard-light technology made them useful in combat. When Villen landed among another squad of Talon soldiers, they were already firing at him. Using his shield to great effect, he lunged forward, and with a downward slice of his sword, split one of the men, while hitting the other with his wing. He smirk at their effectiveness, as he boosted towards another soldier, cutting him in half before he could react._

 _Another salvo from the Griffin rocked the ground, and Villen busied himself with finishing off the stragglers. The chaos that reigned in the enemy's positions was great, and indicated their lack of experience. Through the clouds of smoke that surrounded him, he picked up a group of the more elite soldiers, desperately trying to rally their fellows back to fight. Before they could accomplish it however, Villen appeared beside them, running one through from behind, before gliding over to the next one, keeping his shield up as a hail of bullets rained upon him from the other members of the squad. When he closed in on one, the soldier tried to block his sideways strike with his gun, but the powered blade sliced right through the metal, and then proceeded to cut off the man's head. The resolve of the rest of the soldiers didn't survive the shock, especially since the Griffin's autocannons were now shredding through the Talon's positions, picking off any remaining forces. The elite squad started a fighting retreat, keeping their fire on Villen. The knight hid behind his shield as he run them down, one by one. By the time he was done, Stribog managed to clear the rest of the emplacements._

 _Villen headed towards the friendly positions, inspecting his wings on the way. There were several bullet holes in them, but the general structure held, even when they were used in combat. Villen was pleased with the results of the test. The wings disappeared, retreating back into his armor, right before the knight crossed the boundary of the dust and smoke cloud._

* * *

"Excellent timing, Sir." Tirel came to meet him, and bowed. The rest of the agents were making their way over as well, and the Griffin floated over them in hover mode, its underslung autocannon turret scanning for more hostile targets.

"Thank you, Captain. Report." Villen asked, his voice calm.

"We've made steady progress up to this point, crushing any resistance. No casualties on our side. We have a secure way of retreat, should we need it. Now this plaza is secure, our reinforcements can land here when they arrive." Tirel straightened her posture, and made her report quickly.

"Excellent work, Flame." Villen bowed his head in complement.

"Thank you, Sir. What are your orders?" The Captain bowed graciously.

"My orders? It is your campaign, Flame, you are the general. And you know what that means." The knight remained as stoic as ever, his helmet's visor fixated on the woman in front of him.

"Of course, My Lord. 'He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.'" The captain bowed once again, and recited the quote.

"Exactly." Villen smiled under his helmet, as Tirel straightened herself, giving him one last nod, as she turned to give her squad orders.

Villen paused as he saw the other agents approach, thankful for his helmet hiding his eyes, which he could not seem to tear away from one specific person. It was the first time he properly, saw Angela in her full combat gear, and despite not having a hole in his head and blood flooding his eyes this time, she still looked as unreal as he remembered. The Valkyrie suit did well to accentuate her beauty, and she shone like a beacon of hope and life, as if a real angel graced humanity with its presence. She carried herself with unmatched grace, and great confidence, joining together an image of a healer and a warrior, while easily maintaining her femininity.

"Glorious entry, my friend!" Reinhardt's booming voice erupted, as the old knight approached, finally throwing Villen out of his trance.

"Torbjörn, set up some more turrets. We need to keep this area secure." 76 ordered, and the Swedish man started moved to do just that, the vehicle carrying his stock of turrets following after him.

"Thank you." Villen said to Reinhardt. He then moved his visor from agent to agent. "It is good to see you again. All of you." Although it was addressed to all of them, it was directed most at Angela, who his eyes were focused on. He then turned to look at McCree. "Mr McCree, I was glad to hear you have joined your friends." He extended his hand to the cowboy.

"Right, Hussar, was it? Good to finally properly meet you." McCree shook the knight's hand.

"Hussar is suitable, yes." Villen confirmed, letting go of the cowboy's hand. "But I suppose we should leave catching up for later. Let us push forward, so that Talon does not have much chance to recover."

* * *

Villen joined the Overwatch team, as they were usually in the more direct line of fire, and encountered more opposition, still being the main object of Talon's focus.

As they made their way down one of the streets, Angela looked at the ruined buildings lining it. She breathed a heavy sigh. "Do you think people will ever come back here?"

Villen, who was walking beside her, looked at the doctor. They were further back, with Villen securing the rear of the squad, and Mercy, as a medic, being kept further away from harm, to ensure she was able to help. "It is in our nature to overcome difficulties. It will take time, but the world will return to its former glory."

"I'm not so sure… Between Talon, and what's happening in Russia…" She paused, heaving another sigh. "I fear it may be too much. What if there is the second Crisis?"

"Then we will do our best to bring it to a swift resolution." He placed his hand and Mercy's shoulder. "I know it is hard to fight every day, when others seem content with letting the evil grow. To be shunned for doing the right thing. To have to cause harm, when your calling is to heal. But it is by example only, that we can get people to our cause. And when they see the righteousness of our way, they will come."

Mercy lowered her head, looking down at the ground in front of her. "How can you be so sure? How do you know that this time, people won't just crack?"

"Because I will not let them. Because I know that those, that have the will to fight, are many. And because I trust in their will to survive." He gave her a reassuring pat on the back, as she looked up at him. "I know you are much like me, always trying to see the best in people. And I am certain that, in the past, you have been told that it is naive, that it is better to expect the worse from them. But we both know that there is a lot of good in people, and that when driven to it, we unite and stand up against any threat. Get your strength from that thought and from your friends around you, because for now, it is our burden to stand, as a bulwark against evil, and we cannot falter. Do not lose hope, for it is your most dangerous weapon."

Angela looked at him for a moment, pondering his words. Then a smile crept its way back onto her face. "In that case, let's make sure Talon doesn't get what they came here for."

* * *

The fights were going better, Villen adding his sword and shield to the arsenal, being able to soak up incoming damage, and cause chaos within the enemy's ranks, by rapidly closing into melee, sowing terror among the soldiers not equipped to deal with that. This allowed Overwatch to make quick progress into the heart of the city.

The situation turned for the worse just as quickly, however, when they agents were making their way across yet another plaza, where they encountered a major opposing force.

"How are they even able to field that many people?!" Ember yelled, pouring fire from his pulse rifle, taking cover behind a concrete barrier. "There is a literal army of them."

"They certainly can make use of their funds." Tirel responded, laying down cover fire for Villen, as the knight charged across the plaza, his shield held up in front of him. Suddenly wild beeping sounded, and drew the captain's attention to the proximity scanner on her wrist. She saw the immediate area around them lighting up with dots, and her eyes grew wide. "Everybody down!" She screamed into the comms and hit the floor.

A hail of bullets came from the buildings surrounding the plaza. Reinhardt and Inferno stood back to back, their shields cracking from the received firepower, as Caesar's own chainguns answered.

"Bastion units!" McCree yelled, putting one omnic after another down with a shot to the head.

"What?! How?!" Scorch yelled, tossing a pair of explosives into one of the buildings, causing it to collapse and crush the bastion units inside, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"It's a trap! We need to reposition!" Tirel poured automatic fire down through one of the doors, destroying the omnics trying to leave through it.

"Everyone fall back!" 76 ordered, the helix rocket from his gun pulverizing another group of bastions. "Tracer, change of plans, get your team here, we need assistance."

"We'll do our best love, but we have a few problems of our own to deal with." The Brit's voice answered through the comms, followed by a sound of gunfire before she closed the channel.

"Hussar, we are falling back!" 76 called through the radio.

Villen, who by the time of the omnic attack was much closer to the Talon's position than the friendly ones, was now among the enemy forces, dancing his dance of death. "Reposition against the omnics, I will try to hold Talon's force here." He responded, gliding over to another enemy, his white, bubble energy shield cracking from the gunfire focused on him. Using whatever cover he could in the enemy's fortified positions, he weaved his way through them, moving from squad to squad, systematically clearing them out. "Stribog, where are you, we could use some help."

" _Apologies, my Lord, it would appear I also have run into some trouble."_ Almost on cue, the Griffin soared over the plaza, closely followed by three black fighters, pouring autocannon fire after it, as well as launching a few missiles.

Villen sighed, his focus back on the fight at hand. He took down several more soldiers, before he heard two loud shots right behind him, and felt a sharp pain in his back. Lunging a small distance away he turned, raising his shield, and was met with a familiar figure, although not one he was particularly happy to see.

"You." Reaper sneered, his white mask and two shotgun barrels staring back at Villen. "You should be dead."

More and more Talon agents started to surround the knight, pointing their guns at him. "Seems you are not as good at your job as you think." Villen responded, his voice almost unnaturally calm considering the situation.

"No, I'm better. And no one is coming to save you this time." He turned his head to one of the soldiers, keeping his shotguns pointed at the knight. "Crush the rest. I will handle this one myself."

The soldier hesitated for a moment, but a growl from Reaper made him salute, and call his men forward, and the soldiers run off down the plaza, to join the omnic assault on the Overwatch agents.

"Overconfidence will get you killed one day." Villen stared Reaper down, ready to react at any moment.

"Perhaps. But not today." The wraith laughed, his laughter carrying a weird emptiness with it. "Besides, the same could be said about you, fly. Running off all on your own. Even though last time it almost cost you your life."

"You managed to catch me by surprise last time, but if you think that it will be as easy this time, you are very wrong." Villen maintained his calm voice, and stoic position, his eyes carefully scanning his opponent.

"Good. I like a challenge." With that Reaper opened fire, his pellets harmlessly bouncing off Villen's shield as the knight charged forward. When Villen sliced at him however, the blade didn't catch any traction, instead passing harmlessly through a cloud of black smoke. Villen read the reports on Reaper, and knew that such outcome was probable. What the reports failed to convey, however, was the speed the wraith could move at. Feeling sharp pain in his back again, fresh wounds and holes in the armor being made, where the old managed to seal, he turned around, blocking the rest of Reaper's clip with his shield. The wraith laughed his echoey laughter yet again. "Surprised?" Villen could almost see the smirk under the man's mask.

"And interesting ability." The knight said, lunging forward again, his blade meeting nothing but air for the second time. This time however, he managed to block all of Reaper's fire, and counter, the attempt proving unsuccessful, when he dematerialized again.

Villen allowed the other man to toy with him, and made his movements look sloppier and more sluggish as the fight went on. Reaper laughed at him, landing a few successful shots, and Villen ordered Vea to slow his regeneration, making him appear more and more beaten as blood started to cover over his ornate armor.

Some time later, Villen was down on one knee, breathing heavily, and Reaper stood above him, both of his guns pointed right at the knight's head. "Ready to give up yet?" The wraith's voice was filled with confidence. Reaper's biggest weakness was his ego, and Villen easily managed to convince him, that he was indeed the better fighter.

The knight raised his head slowly, and locked his visor with the eyes of Reaper's mask. "I will not be the one to yield."

His sinister laughter echoed yet again, as Reaper pushed his shotguns further forward. "You have nothing that can harm me fly. Seems like the only way you will earn a lesson, is when I squash you under my boot."

"I warned you Reaper. Overconfidence will be your doom." With that Villen sprung up from his kneeling position, his blade knocking Reaper's shotguns aside in a swift strike. At the same time, he thrust his shield forward, attempting to bash it into Reaper, but as expected, he turned into his mist form in an attempt to dodge.

There was however, yet another weakness of Reaper that Villen knew about. One that he learned from Winston's report. As his shield passed through the mist it started to crackle with blue lightning, before unleashing an electrical surge so powerful, it threw Reaper against the nearby wall, the electricity forcing him to coalesce into his human form, leaving him leaned against the building, smoke coming off of him.

He grunted and tried to lift himself up, stopping when he felt metal against his neck. He looked up just in time to see the blood slowly disappear from the armor of the knight standing over him, his wounds sealing and any dent in the armor straightening. Reaper growled as the blade pointed at him moved slightly closer. "Yield!" Villen said sternly, keeping his sword steady and his visor locked on the man in front of him.

"Oh." Reaper chuckled. "I don't think so." He revealed a detonator in his hand and pressed the button. Villen turned behind him, his scanners lighting up with more energy signatures all around. He turned back in time of see the rest of Reaper's black mist dissipating.

"Everybody run!" He yelled into the radio, bolting of down one of the side streets away from the plaza. "This whole place is rigged to blow!" He unfolded his wings, and used his jump boost to propel himself forward, but it was too late. An explosion engulfed him in flames, as a chain reaction started, moving further down the plaza towards the other agent's positions. Villen felt searing pain all over his body, as he was flung forward and through the wall of a building in a fiery ball. The last thing he saw was the ceiling crumbling, before he hit another wall hard and lost consciousness.

* * *

"The signal is weak, but it seems to be coming from somewhere around here." Forge pointed at the ruins of a crumbled building. Thanks to Villen's timely warning, they managed to save themselves from the explosions, both Reinhardt and Inferno absorbing much of the blast with their shields, as well as by utilizing some of Winston's deployable generators. After the knight didn't respond to their attempts at contact, they followed his energy signature to the building.

"It will take a long time to sift through all of this rubble." Scorch said, inspecting the site.

"Let us begin then!" Reinhard boomed, taking a step over the remains of a wall, and into the field of debris.

Before he could started however, not far from him a blade glowing blue pierced through the ground and sliced before retracting, only to appear again slicing a cross pattern across the rubble. Then the blade disappeared again, before a blue electrical charge exploding sent pieces of debris flying in all directions. Then out of the hole that appeared, Villen lifted himself up, grunting in pain. He looked at the agents staring back at him, still in shock from the sudden explosions, some even pointing their guns at him briefly, before realising it was him. "Well…" He rasped. "That was most unpleasant."

Both medics were on him almost instantly, Angela's staff having a soothing effect for his pain, and Ember passing him a syringe filled with translucent liquid.

"What happened?" 76 asked, making his way through the rubble towards him.

Villen deactivated his right glove, revealing his robotic arm. Part of it shifted and a small port appeared, and Villen stuck the syringe into it, emptying its contents into his system. "Reaper. He was commanding the troops here. I managed to defeat him, but he activated the explosives before escaping." He looked over the agents, seeing that everyone was accounted for. "Probably hoped to kill more than just his people." He felt the nanites in his body healing him more rapidly, with the material provided by the solution he injected. Some of the pain subsided entirely. He felt his broken ribs click back into place, causing him to let out another grunt of pain. "He is still out there, we must proceed with caution."

"You should rest." Angela was next to him, a worried look in her eyes, as she kept the beam from her staff steady on him.

Her closeness made him smile, and her worry made him feel bad and good simultaneously. He didn't wish to worry her. But at the same time, the fact that she did, made him feel warm inside. "I will be fine. I feel better already." He stated calmly, ridding his voice of any signs of pain.

"Well, partner, I'm impressed. Not everyone could have survived that." McCree said, admiration made clear in his voice.

"Thank you. It really was not that bad. Could have been a lot worse. I actually managed to get some distance away before the explosion." Villen responded, finally able to straighten his posture.

"Are you planning on making close calls a habit?" Angela asked with a hint of playfulness, worry still audible in her voice, but visibly cheered up by his condition improving.

"Only if you will be there to save me." Villen replied, chuckling as Angela's face grew red and she lowered her gaze.

Their trouble was not at an end, however, as Stribog's voice sounded in Villen's ears, before anyone could react to the knight's statement. _"My Lord, you have incoming from the south."_

Villen looked in that direction, and his eyes opened wide. "Gunships! Everyone scatter!" He yelled, grabbing hold of Angela's hand and pulling her with him, as the rest of the agents moved in different directions. The thunder of guns surged through the air, bullets hitting all around, as Villen activated his energy shield, keeping him and Mercy safe. Angela had to stick very close to him, because of the area the shield covered. After the hail of fire intensified, as they tried a certain direction, the pair turned and bolted off down the street, bullets still bouncing of the bubble shield surrounding them, starting to crack it.

" _Missile incoming!"_ Vea's voice pierced through the thundering gunfire.

Villen turned, pulling Mercy close to him, and she stumbled forward at the sudden movement. Then the knight threw them both on the ground, hitting the earth with his back, only to turn over a moment later, using his body to shield Angela, as explosions rocked the area around them. The energy shield broke from the force of them, and Villen pushed himself closer to Mercy to protect her better, as he felt scalding heat on his back, struggling to keep in position because of it. A moment later it dissipated, and the knight lifted himself up slightly, checking if Angela was alright, which caused him to pause for a moment, to marvel at how their closeness, almost forgetting the battle raging around them. Angela opened her eyes and looked up at him, perhaps having the same thoughts as her cheeks started to get a tint of red on them.

Before either of them could say anything, Villen felt piercing pain in his shoulder, as a bullet dug its way into it. He twisted his body around, raising his shield to deflect more fire, thankful that his helmet hid his pained grimace from Angela as he put weight on the injured arm. He jumped to his feet, keeping his shield between them and the gunship, giving Angela a hand and getting her up as well. "Come on, we have to move." He said to her, and led her further up the street, and then turned into another.

The gunship didn't seem to let up that easily however, and it soon appeared over the end of the street laying fire on them. Villen led Angela into one of the buildings, quickly slicing a hole in its back wall, opening a way into another house. They left onto the street, only to be met by gunfire again, the insistent aircraft keeping up with them.

"Stribog, we could really use the help." Villen said into his radio, desperately trying to block most of the gunfire with his shield, as he backed away slowly.

" _I am trying my best, my Lord. There are many fighters after me."_ The AI's voice came back through the radio.

"Try to hurry up, or there may be no one left to help." Villen responded. He took another step back, and barely stifled a pained hiss, as a bullet he didn't manage to block dug into his leg. Mercy was still behind him, the beam from her staff kept focused on him, greatly speeding up his regeneration.

A couple missiles launched by the gunship soared their way, and Villen activated his recharged energy shield, the white barrier being quickly enveloped by flame and smoke, leaving it cracked but holding. He then dropped it, going back to using his normal shield to block fire, saving the energy charge in case of another missile barrage.

Suddenly the gunship lurched to the side, as missile hit it, barely having the time to right itself, before autocannons shredded it, almost cutting it in half. The aircraft exploded in fiery mess, raining down pieces of debris as its wreck plummeted to the ground. The Griffin soared over where the gunship used to be, and soon more aircraft followed, firing at it.

Villen turned to Angela, and they looked at each other before both breathing a sigh of relief. He smiled under his helmet. "You were saying something about close calls." He said, playfully.

Mercy also smiled, shaking her head a little. "I think I'd much prefer missing the next one, if you don't mind."

Villen chuckled and nodded. "Of course." He turned back towards the wreckage, meaning to contact Stribog again. But then a loud gunshot echoed through the streets, followed by the sickening sound of a bullet tearing through flesh. Villen activated his shield immediately, and turned back to the medic, freezing in horror.

Angela was clutching her chest as she stumbled forward slightly. She moved her hand away, looking down at it. She stared in shock at the red stain on it, and then looked down, seeing a hole in her suit right over her heart, barely visible with the blood oozing out of it, and staining the white fabric. She looked up at Villen, her eyes seeming distant, and the knight watched her, petrified. Then, for a brief moment Mercy's eyes widened in fear, before rolling back into her head, as she lost consciousness, falling forward.

Villen snapped out of his shock, moving swiftly towards the woman, and catching her before she fell. He tried to reach her staff as it was falling. It could help him. Help him save her. But it tilted, and just as its head passed through the white barrier, another shot sounded, sending pieces of the staff everywhere. The knight paused for a moment, desperation starting to take hold as he watched the staff shatter. Then he begun to lower Mercy to the ground, simultaneously trying to open a compartment in his armor. "Mercy is down!" He yelled into the radio. "Ember, I need you here now!"

"What? What happened?" 76's voice came back through the radio.

"A sniper. Now get here!" He yelled. He switched the channel, fumbling with a patches of fabric he took out of his armor. "Stribog take care of that sniper, now! I need Ember to get here safely."

" _Yes, my Lord."_ The AI responded.

Villen placed one of the patches over the wound on Angela's back, before laying her flat on the ground and pressing the second patch on the exit wound. They were nanite bandages, and the little machines were already working on stemming the blood flow. But the vital signs scanner in Villen's helmet didn't make him hopeful. The Valkyrie suit, and the nanite patches were doing their best to keep Angela alive, but her heart was almost entirely destroyed, and she was fading fast, the lack of bloodflow making all healing efforts much more difficult.

"Zaraza." Vllen cursed under his breath, the glove over his robotic hand retreating. "I will be damned if I am letting this happen again."

Continuing to put pressure on the chest wound, he moved his robotic hand to Angela's head, placing his fingertips on the side of it. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, freezing in that position.

* * *

It was in that position, that the agents found him, Ember racing over, followed closely by Tracer, Blaze and McCree, the rest of the agents not far behind.

The Scottish medic skidded to a halt and dropped to his knees by Mercy, quickly scanning her with a medical scanner. "Shit." He cursed, digging into his medical bag, and pulling out a bulky oval device, about half a meter in length, and moving Villen's hand away to place it on Angela's chest. He pushed a few buttons on the control panel, and a blue field started to envelop the woman, and Villen moved his robotic hand away from the side of her head just as the field reached it.

"Will… she… live?" Just then Ember noticed, how laborious Villen's breathing was, and the knight struggled to his feet, barely able to lift himself up. The medic moved to support him.

"Honestly, sir, I'm not sure how she is still alive. But I've placed her in suspended animation, and that gives her a chance." He responded, picking the knight up, and helping him stand.

"Take… the Griffin." He rasped, gasping for breath between every word. "And Ember." His visor locked with the medic's eyes. "Save… her." With that, the knight stumbled back, slipping from Ember's grasp and fell to the ground, losing consciousness. The medic was next to him in a flash, scanner in hand.

"What's wrong with him?" Tirel, who just jogged over, asked, scanning the surrounding area carefully.

"I'm not sure. These readings don't make any sense." He looked over the scanner, then up at Tirel. "I need to take them both back to base. I need proper medical facilities to treat them." Tirel nodded and Ember raised a hand to his ear. "Stribog, land here immediately. I need emergency medical evac."

"Can't you put a stasis pack on him too?" Blaze asked, moving towards him, to help prepare the patients for transport.

"I only brought one. They take up too much space. So that's not possible, unless I pull the one off Mercy. But that would mean death for her." He responded, still trying to make sense of the readings his scanner was giving him. It appeared that Villen's body was going into full shutdown, but he could not find the cause.

And uncomfortable silence hanged in the air for a moment, before Tirel spoke. "He wouldn't want that. Let's just hope you can get him out of this mess."

* * *

The Griffin landed shortly after, and the two patients were placed on two lowered cots. Adapted from the cargo space, after the remainder of the supplies Villen packed when he was leaving were unloaded. Ember took his place in the lowered pilot seat, and was lifted up into the cockpit, as the patients were lifted into the fuselage. The aircraft took off, and zoomed off towards the Watchpoint.

The remaining agents were left in a silence, as they watched the Griffin disappear from sight. Tracer was the first one to speak, and her voice was quieter and much less cheerful than usually. "So… What do we do now?"

"Van Doorn to Flame." A voice sounded in Tirel's earpiece, and she lifted her hand to it, to answer.

"I read you colonel." She said, all the eyes focusing on her.

"We are five minutes away from the AO. Beginning deployment soon." The man reported.

"You took your time, Colonel. Report when your troops are on the ground. Your LZ is secure." Tirel responded and closed the channel.

"Reinforcements?" Forge asked, tapping his fingers on his rifle.

"Indeed." She answered, and turned to Tracer. "And to answer your question…" She straightened her posture, adjusting the grip on her rifle. "We make the bastards pay."


	25. Aftermath

**Author's note:**

 **Tried as hard as I could to get this chapter out as soon as possible and here it is. Chapter 25, wow, there was a lot of them!**

 **Thank you to KeepingThemAtBay for another review! Sorry (not sorry) about that cliffhanger, it just felt like a good place to stop. I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it!**

 **Thank you to Vedahzii for another review! All I can say is… well said!**

 **I feel like some of you just want to keep reading so without further ado…**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Villen opened his eyes, the familiar surroundings of the Watchpoint's medbay coming into view. He tried to lift himself up, but failed, noticing he could barely control his body.

"My Lord!" Ember, who was sitting next to the bed jumped to his feet, moving to a monitor to get some readings. Noticing Villen opened his mouth in an attempt to speak, he grabbed a glass of water and raised half of the hospital bed to help the knight drink. Villen gulped the water down, soothing his parched throat.

Villen then looked Ember in the eyes. "A..Angela?" He rasped, his voice hoarse from disuse.

The obvious drop in the medic's mood heralded the answer Villen dreaded to hear. Ember lowered his head and sighed. "I'm sorry, Sir. It was close, but the damage proved too extensive." He shook his head and looked up at the knight, sadness clear in his eyes.

Villen broke eye contact, turning his head slightly and focusing his eyes on the ceiling. "How… long?"

"You were out for almost two months, my Lord. Mercy… she died on the operating table on the same day we brought you in." Ember answered carefully, his eyes focused on the man lying on the bed.

Villen stared at the ceiling in silence for a few seconds, processing the information. "Leave." He said quietly.

"My Lord, I should be present to monitor..." Ember tried, only to be interrupted.

"Leave." Villen repeated, more firmly, still not looking at him.

"As ordered." The medic said, bowing respectfully. "Contact me if you need anything." He backed out of the medbay slowly, door sliding closed behind him.

And so Villen was left alone, an overwhelming sense of failure and grief at the forefront of his mind. He may have not known Angela that long, but she was unlike anyone he met before. They got on extremely well, and even spent countless hours just talking. But he realised there would be no more of those talks that he so enjoyed. That her radiant beauty would never again bless his eyes. Instead there was a new hole in his soul, another person he cared for lost. Person he loved? As realization hit him, his eyes watered, and he didn't stop the stream of tears. Words from an old poem came to his mind.

" _I never knew till now_

 _How precious, till I lost thee. Now I see_

 _Thy beauty whole, because I yearn for thee."_

As depression set in, there was another current in his mind. A feeling that threatened to emerge, to take over, ever since his sister was taken from him. A lust for vengeance. A deep-seated rage. And this time he was too weak to stop it taking root. To prevent it from grabbing hold of his mind. He could almost feel his mind breaking apart.

* * *

Over the coming days, Villen's regeneration accelerated immensely. Several people visited him in the medbay, most notably Tracer, Reinhardt, Tirel and Henry, but the knight was distant, barely sparing a few words. The person he most talked to was Ember, mostly because he briefly answered questions about his condition.

As soon as he was able to move, Villen lifted himself from the hospital bed, and walked to the workshop, paying no mind to anyone he met on the way, and sealed himself inside.

* * *

Over two weeks later, Villen emerged from the workshop and headed straight for the hangar. As he was preparing the Griffin for takeoff, he heard familiar voices calling to him. He disregarded them, up to the point, when Tirel's voice sounded right behind him. "My Lord."

Villen turned, and the expression of anger and irritation on his face caused Tirel to take a step back. Tracer, who came with her, and who never before saw Villen in such a state, and even wondered if he ever got angry, reacted similarly. "What is it, Captain." Villen sneered.

"I wish to know where you are going." Overcoming the initial shock, Tirel held her ground, straightening her posture and looking the knight straight in the eyes.

"Where I am going?" Villen asked, a smug smirk forming on his face. "I am going to do what I should have done long ago. I will wipe Talon off the face of the Earth, and so thoroughly, that there will be no sign left that they even existed." His smile grew, as if he was enjoying the thought very much. And then just as rapidly his expression turned dark again. "No one else will suffer because of them."

"We know what you have been working on, Sir. You have broken your oath." Tirel still met his eyes with her steely gaze.

"I do what I have to. Talon had their reign of terror for long enough." Villen didn't even flinch.

Tirel's shoulders slumped. It pained her to see the man she followed fall so far so quickly. "Do you really cast all you believed in away so easily?" She asked, more meekly.

Villen's anger now seemed to burned in his eyes, as he took a step forward. "Easily? Do not presume it was an easy decision to make." He growled. "And know your place, Captain. I do not need your pity and concern."

"So you're just gonna kill them." Tracer said quietly, her eyes focused on the ground in front of her. "All of them. How does that make you any better than them?"

Villen's expression softened for a moment. "There will be one I will spare." He turned to look at Tirel, his face contorting in anger again. "Let it be known that I still keep some of my promises." He turned, and walked back towards the Griffin, getting himself situated in the lowered pilot seat.

"There is no honor in what you're planning! It isn't what neither of them would have wanted. What you wish for is genocide, it's not like you." Tirel yelled at him, her own anger and feeling of betrayal getting the better of her.

"Honor means anything only to the living, and I am already dead. And they will die, Captain, for I…" He paused, looking her in the eyes. "I have no more mercy."

With that, he got lifted up into the cockpit, and the Griffin took off almost instantly, soaring away.

* * *

"Barricade this door!" Reaper yelled, as a few grunts desperately pulled more and more things in front of the door, the wraith himself keeping his shotguns pointed at it. Widowmaker was off to his side, her sniper rifle aimed at the entry point as well.

A dull thud was heard from the other side of the door. They all readied themselves, the other soldiers in the room raising their rifles as well.

The door seemed to melt, as a grey cloud poured through it, devouring everything in its way. Everyone opened fire, but the cloud just grew larger, enveloping soldier after soldier, leaving nothing behind.

Through the scope of her rifle Widowmaker saw Hussar's head, as the man entered the room, walking slowly, a spherical nanite cloud swirling around him. He wasn't wearing his armor, his face exposed, his long coat billowed slightly in the wind caused by the moving nanites. She took the shot, but the bullet was simply deflected. Hussar raised his hands, pointing one at Reaper, and one at her.

A cloud of nanites surrounded Reaper, and as he tried to use his wraith form to get away, they released an electric shock, forcing him back into his human body. All of the equipment in the room was being devoured, leaving only empty walls behind. The cloud compacted around Reaper, forming a cage for him, and everytime he tried to leave it, he got shocked.

Meanwhile another cloud shot out towards Widomaker, the nanites forming into bonds that quickly pinned her to a nearby wall. Despite trying her best to struggle out of them, they refused to budge.

Soon after they were left in an empty room, everyone else killed, and any equipment devoured by the swarm. The Hussar then stepped forward, moving from the doorway.

As he passed the halfway mark between them, his head suddenly snapped to the side, and a nanite tentacle-like appendage shot out from the spherical cloud surrounding him. It twisted around seemingly thin air and pulled back towards him. Sombra's cloaking device shut off, as she was pulled into the sphere, and was lifted by the neck in front of the knight, struggling to get free.

A sinister chuckle left Villen's mouth, and a smug smile appeared on his face. "Leaving so soon? But we only just started."

Sombra desperately tried to pull away the nanite tentacle around her neck. "Come on… A-amigo." She rasped, struggling for breath. "What about our deal?"

"Deal?!" Reaper yelled, banging his fist on the cage. "You had a deal?! You're dead Sombra!"

Villen just smirked, and looked at the wraith briefly, before focusing back on the woman in front of him. "Yes we did have a deal, did we not?" His expression turned serious. "I am altering it. You will erase any sign of Talon activity. From anywhere. I want them to never have existed." A wicked smile returned to his face. "Can you do that for me, _amiga_?"

"S-sure." She managed.

"Go then. And make sure we do not cross paths again. If I find any sign of you near mine, or Overwatch operations, I will come back for you." With that, the nanite tentacle threw her across the room, and she skidded on the floor, out the door. "Now.." He cracked his knuckles. "Let us move on to the main event. Ladies first I suppose." He smirked and turned to Widowmaker. The woman sneered at him, and faced him defiantly, not struggling anymore. "I am guessing you killed her, and for that you should suffer for eternity. But, as much as I lack it now, there is another, whose mercy saves you."

"I don't need your pity. Or theirs." Widowmaker said, coldly.

"Oh, but fortunately for you, it is decided without your input. Besides." He stroked his beard. "Technically speaking you will die. It was not Widowmaker I promised to save. It was Amélie."

The woman's eyes opened wide briefly, before her screams, she failed to stop, echoed in the room, as a nanite cloud bore into her. She bucked and twisted in her restraints, desperately trying to escape the pain that just kept coming. The spectacle lasted for a few agonizing minutes, before Villen released her.

Amélie's unconscious, naked body dropped to the floor. She looked like a regular woman, her skin turned back to its natural color. Giving a satisfied nod, Villen turned and walked to his other prisoner.

"You should have killed me, when you had the chance, Reaper. It will prove to be your most… fatal mistake." He smirked again, the nanites continuously swirling around him.

"What the hell happened to the 'oh so honorable' knight getup?" The wraith asked mockingly. "Lost it somewhere?"

"Oh indeed. Indeed I did. How clever of you." Villen answered, his tone similarly mocking. "I must have misplaced it somewhere." His eye twitched slightly, and his smile widened. "Along with my sanity it seems. A shame, a shame. Especially for you. Since without it, I cannot really help but kill you."

"You are welcome to try." Reaper sneered.

"Oh, but there will be no trying. You will die Reaper. And do not hope for a fair fight, or an honorable duel. You will die in a cage. Like a rat." He smirked, and the cage closed over the man, nanites piercing his skin, and electric shocks preventing his escape. More screams of agony echoed through the facility.

A few minutes later, Reaper was left on the floor, breathing heavily, his clothes ripped in many places. A nanite tentacle gripped him by the neck and lifted him up, and moved him inside of the sphere, in front of Villen. He struggled to get out, and when he tried to shift into mist, he noticed that he couldn't. He realize he could feel his heartbeat again, the warmth of his body, the coldness of metal against his skin. "What… have you done... to me?" He rasped.

Villen laughed. "I brought you back, Reaper. Reverted your, might I add very interesting condition. You are back to normal again! Well, in terms of your body I suppose."

"You can… do that? Why?" The man stared at him wide-eyed, still desperately trying to pull away the metal around his neck.

"Oh, I felt it would be nice for you to taste life again." His smile disappeared suddenly, and a more sinister expression replaced it. "So that I can be the one to rip it away from you, before you get to enjoy it." Another appendage shot out of the sphere and pierced Reaper from the back, punching through to the front, holding his heart, spraying blood on the knight in front of him. Reaper let out his last breath and slumped. Villen wiped the blood from his face, the rest that covered him being absorbed into his clothes and skin by the nanites inside of him. He threw Reaper's lifeless body across the room, and made his way back towards Widowmaker. "Vea, be a dear, and set up an emergency beacon. Tirel will come to pick her up."

* * *

A massive explosion obliterated the Talon headquarters, and simultaneously their last bastion, after their bases fell one by one to Villen's wrath. At the bottom of the smoking crater that remained, pieces of scorched metal started to fall off from a perfect sphere, slowly revealing the knight kneeling, his head lowered.

Villen leaned forward, laying his hands on the ground in front of him, and let out a long breath. His vengeance was done, the last of Talon destroyed. He felt his anger dissipate, leaving emptiness and sadness behind. And there, at the site of his victory he wept. He had forsaken all he fought for all this time, became the very thing he always tried to stop, and defiled the memory of the people he loved. But his greatest enemy was defeated, banished into the abyss never to threaten anyone again. And he could only hope, those who used to follow him, would not allow it to be reborn.

There was another thought however. Why would he leave it to others, why would he trust in their ability. He looked at his hands. He broke his oath, weaponized his nanites, so why stop now. He now wielded the power to shape the world, to bring order to chaos, to stop anything like Talon from rising ever again. The world will finally know peace, and he will lead it into a glorious future.

"Stop. This isn't you." A familiar voice sounded, startling Villen to his feet.

His eyes widened in surprise. His voice shook as he spoke. "So the last shreds of sanity have finally left me." There, in front of him, stood his sister Anna, her form much the same as in his dream.

"You're lost, brother. All because you've blamed yourself again. For something that didn't even happen." Her voice was calm, and she was approaching him with a steady pace.

"What are you talking about?" Villen's voice cracked.

"Listen to what you have been ignoring, brother." Anna smiled, stopping not far from him. "And take from your subconsciousness the warning, to never allow yourself to fall this low."

"How is he?" A distant voice sounded, and Villen's heart skipped as he recognised it as Angela.

"You don't have to worry anymore, Doctor." It was Ember this time, his voice seemed to be coming from closer. The voices were quiet and distorted, whispers in the wind. "He is not in danger anymore, and at this point, it's only a matter of time until he recovers."

Villen fell to his knees, and more tears streamed down his face. This time, there were those of relief, as realisation dawned on him. "She lives. This… none of this was real."

"Don't wait too long." Anna said, a wide smile on her face. "Nothing is permanent."

And then everything went dark.

* * *

Angela awoke, breathing in sharply and jolting upwards, her hand moving to her chest, as memories flooded her mind. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and realised she was in the medbay. Still disoriented, she followed the arm laying her back down with her eyes, to find Ember at the end, a gentle smile on his face. "Easy, Doctor Ziegler. You are safely back in the Watchpoint."

"What… happened?" She asked, looking down at where her wound used to be, feeling under the hospital gown, finding bandages. "I remember getting shot." The splitting headache she felt, and the cloud of fatigue covering her mind, made recalling details very difficult.

"You were, right through the heart. I'll be honest it was close, you barely survived." He leaned back in his chair. "Must have been the hardest operation I have ever performed. It's not everyday one reconstructs almost an entire heart." He smiled a tired smile, clearly not having rested enough since, what must have been, a lengthy operation.

"Why have you not used my staff? I'm sure it would have been much easier." She narrowed her eyes at the pulsing headache.

"I'm sorry to say, that your staff had been shattered shortly after you were wounded. I hear, however that Torbjörn is very close to putting it back together. Quite an impressive piece of equipment, I must say." He mused.

"You said… You said my heart was almost completely destroyed? How did I survive long enough to be transported here?" Although thinking caused her pain, she looked for any reasoning for her survival, and couldn't find any.

"I placed a stasis field over you when I got to you, and it prevented your death, allowing me to set up what I needed. Before that, well…" He looked off to the side. "I suppose you have Lord Hussar to thank for that."

Angela followed his gaze, and her breathing hitched as she spotted Villen lying on one of the other medbay beds, hooked up to all kinds of life-support machinery, an oxygen mask over his mouth. He was still wearing his long coat, but his shirt was removed, his chest rising and falling slowly. "What happened to him?"

Ember sighed. "He transferred most of his nanites to you. I'm sure you're feeling the side effects now." He tapped the side of his head. "Still, they did most the work in keeping you alive. Kept your brain supplied with oxygen when your blood stopped flowing. Also managed to prevent any irreversible damage."

"I don't understand. What does that have to do with him lying there?" Angela asked, confused.

"The answer is quite simple, Doctor. The nantes coursing in his veins give him extraordinary control over his body. Accelerated regeneration. Improved reflexes. Even temperature control. That is all nice and well, but with every improvement, his body relies on the nanites more and more. At this point he basically cannot function without them. His body almost went into full organ failure. He is still right on the edge of death." Seeing Angela's guilty expression, Ember cursed under his breath. "And I probably shouldn't have told you that. Me and my big mouth." He mumbled.

Angela processed his words in silence for a few moments, her gaze still focused on the knight. "He could have died." She said quietly.

"He risked a chance at death, to give you a hope of life." Ember said slowly, Angela's eyes turning to him. "There is no reason to blame yourself, Doctor. Lord Villen knew full well what he was doing, and it is almost certain he will recover." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"I will rest easier when I know it's definitely certain." She said, her eyes darting back to the knight. "Can I help?"

Ember chuckled, shaking his head. "I can tell what he sees in you, my lady. No, the best way you can help right now is by resting. I'm sure Lord Villen would have killed me when he woke up and found out I let you work in your state. I'll give you something for the pain, in might not work, but maybe it will help a bit."

* * *

The following day Mercy had a couple of visitors. First of all, Tracer came in, with a large smile on her face, visibly relieved that her friend was alive, although it did diminish when she heard Villen's condition was yet to improve. She took the opportunity to fill Angela in on what happened after she got shot. With the help of the reinforcements, Overwatch managed to secure the facility they were after, and 76, Genji and the Drakes were still there, coordinating the salvage and recovery operations. With Reaper having fled, and much of Talon's force wiped out in the explosion, the teams backed by reinforcements made quick progress through the city, easily punching through to the facility and forcing Talon to retreat. Lena was relaying the story enthusiastically, often adding various sound effects to it, causing Angela to giggle in amusement at the Brit's antics.

Winston came in later, wearing a guilty expression on his face. He tried to apologize, feeling responsible for what happened, because as the commander he sanctioned the mission. Mercy tried her best to get that idea out of his head, pointing out that the mission was a success, that she survived and Villen was also likely to recover. Not to mention the fact that she didn't even think of blaming him for what happened. When the gorrilla left some time later, even though he seemed to feel better, Angela couldn't help but feel she didn't fully succeed, especially when Winston paused at the door and glanced back at Villen, before moving out of the room.

Others in the base came as well, if only to express their happiness and relief, before returning to their duties.

* * *

Over a week has passed, and Ember insisted on keeping her in the medbay, just in case. Not that Angela had any right to complain, it was something she always prefer to do, keep patients in longer, rather than risk releasing them too soon. Not that it didn't usually work out the other way, because of some important or unexpected mission.

Another thing that kept her from complaining, was the cleverness of Ember himself. He had quickly realised that Villen was her weakness, and although he used it only as last resort, when Angela was pushing for getting back to work particularly hard, a few well placed words about how Villen's wrath would be directed at the poor medic, should anything happen to her because he released her too soon, how she would surely be insistent that Villen stay as long as it was needed when he recovers, or simply the fact that she surely wouldn't want to miss out when he wakes up.

Angela sat up on her bed, having just woken up, and instinctively looked to her right, where the knight was still lying, finding Ember in front of one of the monitors by his bed, carefully studying its contents. "How is he?" She asked, moving her legs over the side of the bed, and into a pair of slippers. It had become a sort of the routine for them. It was always the first question she asked in the morning, and Ember indulged her, by relaying the progress of Villen's recovery.

The medic looked up at her with a smile on his face. "You don't have to worry anymore, Doctor." He said, more upbeat than recently, and certainly more than his obviously tired state should allow. "He is not in danger anymore, and at this point, it's only a matter of time until he recovers."

Angela breathed a sigh of relief. There has been some close calls over the last couple of days, but the knight survived, the nanites in his bloodstream recovering their numbers day by day. Mercy almost jumped out of bed in happiness, her white nightgown she changed into flowing as she made her way to the other bed. "That is great news!"

"Indeed. It may still be some time, but at least he doesn't require constant monitoring anymore, and we can start to take some of the life support offline." The medic scrolled through some more data on the monitor, glancing over at her, and smiling, seeing her own smile and relieved expression, as she looked down at the knight lying in front of her.

Angela looked to the side at one of the monitors. "There is quite unusual amount of brain activity. Especially for someone in his state."

Ember held back a chuckle. Mercy just couldn't help but get straight back to work. "Indeed. A side effect of a high nanite concentration. It is their prime directive to try and preserve the brain for as long as possible. Seems to me they are keeping it stimulated, to prevent any lasting damage." He looked down at the knight and then to Angela, who was now looking at him. "Let's just hope he is having pleasant dreams, hmm?"

* * *

Villen opened his eyes slowly, the dim light of the medbay still harsh on them, after such a long time in darkness. He waited for them to adjust, taking notice of the aches that plagued his body, especially the splitting headache, that combined with the tired haze on his mind made thinking nearly impossible. After his eyes adjusted to the light, and he was tired of staring at the ceiling, he tried to get up, finding that his body failed to respond. He could slowly move his head, but the only limb that answered his commands was his robotic arm, and even its movements were sluggish and imprecise. Villen took a deep breath, calming the sudden rush of panic. He knew the control would return, and he would just have to deal with his state of being in the meantime.

He moved his head, trying to scan over the room, but as soon as he looked to his right his heart skipped a bit. There she was, Angela, asleep in the chair next to his bed, a book lying on her chest, rising and falling slowly, with the rhythm of her breathing. Villen couldn't help but take in her peaceful expression, and his heart grew in relief. After finally tearing his eyes away, he noticed her hand was on his bed. He tried to gently move his palm over hers, but his clumsy movements, and the coldness of metal on her skin startled Angela awake.

She straightened in her seat, clearly not meaning to have fallen asleep. She looked over at him with hazy eyes, but a moment later, they were open wide. "Villen, you're awake!" A joyful expression left her mouth. Villen opened his mouth to speak, but words refused to come out of his parched throat. Angela noticed his plight and jumped to her feet. "Hold on, I'll get you some water." She smiled at him, and that smile alone almost made Villen forget all the pain he was feeling. He followed her with his eyes, as she grabbed a glass of water, and came back to his bed, helping him drink. He couldn't help but drink greedily, the liquid soothing his throat. After he finished the glass, Angela put it on the bedside table, and sat down in her chair, still smiling. "How are you feeling?"

Villen moved his hand slowly, and placed it over hers. "Lady Angela…" He rasped, his voice hoarse and quiet from disuse. Angela leaned in closer to hear him better. "Seems we have to… postpone our dinner." A weak smile formed on his face.

Mercy chuckled, music to his ears, and shook her head slightly. She pulled her hand slightly from under his, and put her fingers between his, in an affectionate gesture. "Don't worry, I'll wait."

They sat in silence for a few moments, just looking at each other, both relieved that the other was alright. Villen pulled his hand free, and shakingly lifted it, gently running the top of his fingers down Angela's cheek. She found herself leaning into the touch, feeling goosebumps forming on her skin, as much from the coolness of metal, as the touch itself. "I am… glad you are alright." Villen said weakly, his eyes focused on hers.

Angela grasped his hand with hers, and pressed her cheek against it. "I'm happy to see you recovering as well." She paused for a second, then broke eye contact and sighed. "You could have died."

Villen squeezed her hand gently, causing her too look back at him. "So could you. And I… promised to protect… you." It was painful for him to speak, but he pushed through it, taking pauses and deeper breaths when he needed. "I shall… give my life for yours if need be." He repeated the words from his oath, and squeezed her hand slightly harder, a gesture she reciprocated. "I would die… a thousand times over… if it meant saving you." He took a deep breath. Angela remained silent, letting him finish, clearly seeing it meant a lot to him. "And not only… because of the oath. You… you are important… to me." His smile was warped briefly into a pained grimace.

Angela wanted to protest, to say that her life was worth no more than his, that he shouldn't sacrifice himself on her behalf. But she noticed the determination in his voice, and also the pain that he failed to hide. So instead she guided his hand gently back to the side of his body. "You're important to me too, Villen. So try to be more careful in the future, hmm?" She said caringly, an affectionate smile on her face. She released his hand, running her fingers gently over it. "We'll talk more later, for now you should rest." She noticed Villen opening his mouth to protest despite his eyelids feeling heavy with tiredness, so after a moment of hesitation, she leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. She blushed lightly, and noticing a similar reaction from the knight, she patted his hand. "Regain your strength. I will be here, when you wake up." She gave him an affectionate smile.

Villen stared at her for a moment, before nodding slowly, returning the smile. "Then I hope my sleep... will be brief." He looked at her a moment longer, before surrendering to his fatigue, the feeling of her lips on his cheek, albeit brief, still radiating pleasant heat, as he drifted off to sleep.


	26. Recovery

**Author's note:**

 **Happy much belated New Year everyone! Terribly sorry this chapter took so long to get out (a month, yikes!) but between overseas family visiting and Christmas I had next to no time to write!  
Thank you to ShiftFrame for another review! No ending, no prank, just a chilling vision of things that could have come, but thankfully didn't!  
Thank you to Vedahzii for another review! I hope you enjoyed the ride ;]**

 **Anyway, I'm not prolonging this any more, here is the chapter for you. Hopefully you'll enjoy!**

* * *

Villen woke up suddenly, his eyes desperately trying to get a read on the room, and his body, despite his efforts, still refusing to cooperate. He tried to rise again, the only thing he managed to accomplish being his robotic arm embedding itself slightly deeper into the mattress. His mind started to catch up. He was in the Watchpoint's medbay, but what about…

Angela, who noticed the commotion, quickly walked up to the knight's bed. "Villen, what's wrong?" She asked, worry clear in her voice.

Villen's eyes immediately darted to her. She noticed a flash of panic in them, quickly replaced by recognition. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong." He smiled. "I just… needed confirmation, on what was and was not a dream."

Angela looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"It does not matter now." He sighed again, relaxing visibly. "All is, as it should be."

Mercy sighed as well, pretty much used to the knight keeping his secrets. Ordinarily she would have complained, tried to get some more information, but given Villen's state, and the fact that she was usually getting more out of him than most, she decided to leave it alone. She moved to the monitor showing the knight's vitals. "How are you feeling?"

"Well." He answered, his eyes not leaving her for a moment.

"Mhm." She responded, unconvinced. "I'm aware of your extraordinary healing ability, Villen, but I somehow doubt it."

The knight let out a low chuckle, followed by a couple of coughs. "I do feel better than yesterday."

"That is still a far cry from well, isn't it?" She turned to him, a warm smile on her face.

"I suppose." He answered. "However, I cannot help but to feel… well when you are around, Lady Angela."

Mercy turned her head away, back towards the monitor, in an attempt to hide her blush. "Flattery will not get you an early release, Villen."

"Is it flattery, if it is true?" The knight inquired, fighting off his own blush.

"I suppose, technically, it isn't." She couldn't hold back a smile that insisted on creeping onto her face.

"Good." He responded, pausing for a second to think. "How long was I out?"

Angela thought for a second, tapping the side of her chin with her finger. "Just over a month. And I'd probably keep you in here for another, but I feel like that will be difficult." Her smile widened slightly.

"If you mean keeping me stuck in the bed, then yes, I would say it is somewhat excessive, since my regeneration will accelerate exponentially, as my nanites regain their numbers." He spoke slowly, speaking still causing him some pain.

"Oh?" She asked, her expression turning a bit more smug. "What else could I have meant?"

"Well, one can hope that, you could mean keeping me by your side. And that would not be particularly hard." Villen answered confidently, his chuckle at Angela's cheek turning a slightly darker shade of red turning into several light coughs.

"Oh..." She stammered out, suddenly finding something very interesting to look at on a monitor across the room.

Villen calmed his coughs, and settled more comfortably into the bed, trying to move his gaze up to the ceiling, but it almost immediately drifted back to the doctor. He watched her for a moment, and started noticing the signs of fatigue that somehow managed to escape his attention before. Her more sluggish than usual movements. Slumped shoulders. "Lady Angela." He said, and the woman turned, her eyes also showing signs of tiredness, despite the bright spirit and happiness also very much present in them. Villen extended his right arm towards her, palm up, and made a slow grabbing motion. Angela smiled and walked over, putting her hand in his. "You should rest."

Mercy laughed. "I should be the one telling you that."

"I have slept for over a month. If anyone here needs rest it is you." He responded, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I am not going anywhere." He chuckled, managing to stop himself from coughing this time, and gestured with his head to his still mostly immobile body.

Angela's smile faded as she turned her head, her gaze trailing along his body and down to his legs. "I'm not sure. I shouldn't…" She paused, feeling another gentle squeeze of her hand, she turned her worried eyes back towards the knight's face, finding a reassuring smile on his lips.

"I will be fine, and you look exhausted. There is no reason for you to overwork yourself, Lady Angela. So go rest. Doctor's orders." He winked, and Angela couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, fine." She rolled her eyes, and sighed in mock defeat. "But don't get used to this 'Doctor's orders' thing working." She pointed a finger at him accusingly, and smiled widely.

Villen returned the smile. "I will try not to." When Angela got up from her chair, he cherished the last moments of holding her hand. This seemingly simple gesture, brought him a surprising amount of comfort, an interesting fact that he planned to think on later. He slowly released her hand, returning to reality from his momentary lapse in focus. "Sleep well, Lady Angela."

"Thank you, Villen." She seemed to hesitate for a moment, looking into his eyes. Then she leaned in and placed a soft, quick kiss on his cheek, before turning away and moving towards the door. "Try to rest as well." She shot back at him, turning towards him briefly at the door, before leaving the medbay.

Villen let himself sink into the pillow, closing his eyes and letting out a satisfied sigh. Despite everything that happened, and the fact that usually he would have worried and thought of state of the world at this point, there was only one person that occupied his mind. And he was happy.

* * *

His happiness didn't carry over into the realm of dreams, however, as he woke up in cold sweat not long after, feelings of panic lingering as his mind reentered the waking world. In the nightmare he relieved Angela getting shot, the fear in her eyes, the blood on her suit, the panic that threatened to overwhelm him, as she kept fading, almost dying as he knelt beside her.

He groaned, and rubbed his eyes with his robotic fingers, running his palm down over his beard. "Vea, what happened to nightmare control." He said weakly, his attempts at moving anything but his right arm failing miserably.

" _Sorry, Sir. The nanites are still too few for comfort upgrades to kick in, especially since a lot is dedicated to allowing you to speak clearly. I know that is always your top priority. So, unfortunately, only essentials for now."_ The AI responded, her voice carrying a hint of worry.

"I see. Just make sure it gets priority, when there is enough. I have a feeling it is going to be a rough couple of weeks..." Villen responded, relaxing his neck and sinking back into the pillow.

" _Of course, Sir."_

* * *

A short time later, the sound of the medbay doors sliding open threw Villen out of his thoughts. "Villen." A loud whisper, that the knight almost immediately attributed to Tracer came from the door. "Are you asleep?"

"No, Lena." Villen answered, smiling. "Come on in."

A blue flash and a whoosh later, the Brit was standing right next to his bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I have been better. But I am recovering, thank you for asking." Villen turned his head slightly, to face her, and lifted up his hand, giving her a thumbs up.

"That's great, love. You've given us all quite a scare, you know." Lena was animated as ever, and wearing her signature grin.

"My apologies." Villen smiled at her.

"Apology accepted!" The woman grinned wider. "Hey, I've been wondering. You've been out cold for some time. Want me to catch you up?"

"Sure, I believe that would be useful." Villen answered, and Lena almost jumped from excitement.

She jumped into the chair by his bed, and settled herself comfortably, although Villen had a feeling she wouldn't really be staying in it for long. "Alrighty then! I suppose I should start from… well the start!" She giggled. "We got to you and Ang, and packed you both into that sweet aircraft of yours. And then your reinforcements showed up! It was pretty much clean up from there! We just steamrolled through the city, right to the black site's doorstep. Turns out, Talon didn't even get inside yet! Can you imagine that?" Throughout her retelling she was accentuating her words with wild gestures. She giggled again. "I mean, it took us a pretty long time to get in, too. Turns out there was some pretty good security in that place. It took Forge, with assistance of Winston and Athena like a good…" She looked up, and tapped the side of her chin. "Six hours maybe to crack the password. It was sooo boring." She ran her hands down her face, stretching her skin a bit as she did. Villen chuckled at her antics, and she responded with a wide grin. "What? It was!" She giggled. "Anyways, in the meanwhile we were sweating our butts off, holding off Talon's counterattacks. They must have really wanted the stuff inside! Anyways, we drove them off and bish bash bosh, got inside, and found some really cool stuff!" She giggled again. "Well, at least as far as I understand. If you want details, you need to talk to someone who understands all that technical shizzle wizzle." She gave him a large grin.

Villen responded with a chuckle of his own. "I will keep that in mind, thank you Lena."

"No problem, love." She answered, cheerily. "Oh, and just wish you could have seen Angela after she got better! As far as I know Ember struggled to keep her from worki-" She paused, her head snapping towards the medbay doors that just opened.

In the doorframe stood the bulky, furry shape of a certain scientist. Winston adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "May I come in?"

"Of course, commander. It is your base." Villen answered, smiling at the gorilla.

Tracer jumped to her feet. "And I've basically finished catching good old Villy here, on what he missed." She paused for a second, recognising the guilty look on the scientist' face. She rocked back and forward on her feet, throwing a quick glance at the medbay clock. "Oh boy and would you look at the time, I'll miss my training session! So have a good chat, loves, I'm off!" And with that she blinked past Winston and into the corridor.

Winston huffed, as he made his way towards the knight's bed. "How are you feeling?" He asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Perhaps I should ask you that same question, Winston." Villen answered, fixing the scientist with a stare. "You seem troubled."

"Troubled?" Winston waved him off. "What gives you that idea?"

"I may not know you that well, but Lena is not known for her subtlety. She clearly excused herself to give you an opportunity to talk to me alone." His eyes were following the gorilla as he moved around the room, having not stopped at the knight's bed. "Not to mention you are pacing. A sure sign of a troubled mind." He chuckled as Winston stopped dead in his tracks, realizing he was indeed pacing around the room. "What is on your mind?"

Winston looked at him for a moment, before heaving a sigh and rubbing a bridge of his nose. "I, uh, wanted to apologise…"

"Apologise?" Villen gave him a look of confusion. "I do not recall anything you would have to apologise for."

"Well, I authorized the mission, and both you and Angela nearly died. Thankfully you survived, but if that wasn't…" Villen could see the guilt on the scientist's face, as well as clearly hear it in his voice. Winston was rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke, struggling to keep eye contact with the knight.

"Let me stop you right there, Winston." Villen stated, calmly, yet firmly, causing the gorilla to fall silent steady his eyes on him. "You do not have much experience with command, do you?"

Winston's shoulders visibly slumped as he exhaled another sigh. "No. It has been some time since I was basically given command of this reforming Overwatch, but…" He shook his head. "I'm still completely overwhelmed."

"I think you have done an excellent job." Villen replied, reassuringly. "And trust me, it does get easier. You also have the benefit of getting help from your friends, although having to command them, brings you a whole another level of challenge."

"Indeed." Winston climbed into the chair, and it creaked slightly under his weight. He rubbed his eyes, his fingers raising his glasses slightly. "It was easier until now, since it was going so well… But now I fully realised the danger. How do I keep sending my friends to their potential deaths?"

"It comes with the job, I am sorry to say." Villen smiled at him. "Since I doubt you would wish to distance yourself from them, you will have to learn to deal with it. To not see them as friends when you give orders, but as soldiers. I will not say it will be easy, because that would be a lie. But I believe you will manage, Winston." Villen kept his voice calm and steady as he spoke, ignoring the pain that laced every word.

A sigh of resignation escaped the gorilla's lips, and he lowered his head. "At least one of us does, then."

"Do not judge yourself too harshly. You are running an illegal, underfunded and undermanned operation, and still manage to make a difference. You have shown that you understand what it means to be a leader, that you are able to take advice from others, to rely on their skill to supplement your own. You have changed the command structure significantly from the original, allowing much more input from your fellow agents. That has its benefits, but comes with dangers as well. You still need to make decisions, not allow differing opinions to diminish your effectiveness." Villen took a couple of deep breaths, and coughed, fighting the pain rising in his chest, clearing his throat that also started to become sore. "But most importantly you must not let your feelings for your friends blind you to opportunities. It might seem heartless, but you will have to risk their lives, and probably see them get hurt for it."

"Is there even a way to do what you speak of?" Winston huffed, his voice filled with resignation.

"Yes. Maybe not completely, but enough. You will still be biased, much more so than if you didn't know the names of people you were sending on missions. But yes, it is possible. Make use of the support your friends are giving you. And if you need advice, feel free to talk to me. I have gone through this myself." Villen offered the scientist a warm smile.

"Oh, you did?" The scientist asked, curious about the still very much mysterious man's past.

"Indeed." Villen took a deep breath. "When I was younger, I thought it prudent to know everyone that served under me. And so I do. Some of them I got to know very well, well enough to call them friends. It made it difficult at first, to deploy them anywhere. But I managed to forge it into an advantage. I know what they are capable of, I know they are loyal, and I know that I can rely on them to get the job done. This is what you must strive for." He coughed, and the pain in his chest spiked, making itself almost unbearable. He grunted in pain.

"Perhaps I should leave you to rest." Winston said, his voice filling with concern. "I shall think on what you've told me." He rested his big hand on Villen's shoulder for a moment. "I hope you make a swift recovery, friend."

"Only a matter of time." Villen smiled, fighting through the pain again.

Winston returned the smile. "I'll see you soon, then." After receiving a nod from the knight, the scientist turned around, and moved out of the medbay.

As Villen watched him leave, he started to realize how much strain those conversations put on him. He felt his eyelids grow heavier, and soon after the door closed behind the gorilla, a wave of exhaustion washed over him, taking him back into the unconscious realm.

* * *

Villen stirred awake the next day, thankful for a dreamless sleep. He let out a long sigh of relief, which caught Angela's attention. She moved towards his bed, stopping by a monitor to check his vitals. "How are you feeling?" She asked, offering him a warm smile.

Villen turned his head towards her, and return a smile. "Better now."

Angela rolled her eyes. "I'm serious." She said, but her smile has not left her, and her cheeks turned just a tint more red.

"So am I." Villen chuckled, his eyes not leaving Angela's face for a moment. "I could use some water, I suppose."

Mercy nodded, raising the upper part of the medical bed, so that Villen's body was more upright, before grabbing an empty glass from a small table next to the bed, and moving to fill it up. When she came back, Villen extended his robotic arm, and she passed it to him gently, brushing her fingers past his robotic digits.

Villen carefully moved the glass to his lips, tilting it and gulping down the liquid. He closed his eyes for a moment after finishing the drink, breathing a few deep breaths. Reopening his eyes, he looked over at his left arm, focusing on it. His fingers twitched as he strained for a moment, causing a small smile to appear on his face. He turned back to Angela, passing the empty glass back to her. "Seems the feeling in my limbs is starting to return. I will be out of the bed in no time."

Angela took the glass, moving to refill it. "Not until I'm sure you've recovered." She returned with the drink, setting it down on the bedside table.

Villen's smile turned smug. "Lady Angela, you could just admit you would prefer me to stay."

Mercy returned a similar smirk. "If by that you mean, I'd rather not have to drag you back here after you inevitable collapse after leaving too soon… Then yes, I admit."

Villen gasped in mock offense, his robotic arm darting over to his heart. "You wound me, Lady Angela. I would have dragged myself in."

"Mhmm, I'm sure." She gave him a condescending look. "It's more likely you would be trying to get away, as you were being taken back here."

"Away from you? Never." Villen answered in a serious tone, but his smile returned a moment later, even wider than before.

Angela smiled as well. "Good. Makes it easier to treat you properly."

Before Villen had a chance to retort, the medbay doors slid open again, catching their attention and revealing a familiar figure. "My Lord." He bowed. "Am I interrupting?"

Villen glanced at Angela before motioning him in. "No, Henry, come in. I wished to speak with you anyway.

"I'll leave you two to it." Angela said, with a smile, and started moving away.

"You, can stay, Lady Angela." Villen said, his attention turning back to the woman.

Mercy shook her head. "Thank you, but I really should get back to work." She smiled, before excusing herself.

Meanwhile Henry made his way to the bed, and Villen motioned for him to sit down in the chair next to it. "Good to see you're feeling better, my Lord."

"As well as might be expected, my friend." Villen responded, turning back to him, after watching Angela disappear behind the lab doors. "It is good that you are here. I wanted to hear your report."

"I thought as much, sir." Henry nodded, settling in the chair. "The technology we found in the blacksite is quite remarkable. Incredibly high sensitivity sensors of various kinds, as well as some anti-scrambling technology that could prove useful. I have already sent a copy of the schematics to our science teams, to figure out how to implement them into our designs."

"Have a copy sent to me as well, I want to look them over." Villen said, before pausing for a few moments. "But more importantly, what are our casualties?"

Henry shifted uncomfortably. "Are you sure this can't wait until you feel better, my Lord?"

"I am sure." Villen responded decisively.

"Fifteen dead. Seventy-three wounded. Thirteen of those critically, but they are stable by now." Henry said heavily, noticing the darkening mood it put Villen in. "Considering the amount of resistance, and enemy casualties, we have been very lucky."

Villen let out a heavy sigh. "Who died… and how?"

"Nills, Vlach, Orosz and Heino died when their squad were securing a flank, and they encountered an overwhelming enemy force. They managed to hold the enemy until reinforcements arrived, but by that time only Peim and Demets survived. Still, it saved a lot of others." He took a deep breath. "Nowak, Cancilla, de Soto, Stevens, Cazal and Haik were all picked off by sniper fire. Aavik, Sowa, Lindelöf and Munz bled out from the injuries sustained in holding our position at the blacksite."

There was an audible pause, as Villen processed the information. "What about the fifteenth one?"

Henry exhaled, bracing himself before speaking again. "Hart, sir. She took a shot meant for Van Doorn."

Villen seemed to sink lower into the bed, letting his head drops and bringing up his robotic arm to rub his temples. " _Zaraza._ " He cursed. "Jane was an excellent soldier. I was about to promote her…" He heaved a heavy sigh, before looking back up at Henry. "Bring me parchment, and a writing desk. You will take the condolence letter back with you."

"Of course, my Lord." Henry bowed his head.

"Another thing. I was told I have been out for over a month. What day is it today?" Villen responded, his voice still incredibly serious, the information he just recieved still weighing heavily on his mind.

"It's the 23rd of September, Sir." Henry replied calmly.

Villen breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I have not missed it."

Henry cleared his throat. "Should I move the ceremony? It is only ten days, and given your condition…"

"No." Villen interrupted him, firmly. "There is no chance I will miss it, even if I have to crawl my way there. Make the usual preparations."

"As you wish, My Lord." Henry responded, knowing that arguing about it had little sense. "Is there anything else?"

Villen paused, looking at the man sitting next to him for a few moments. "No, I think that will be all. Thank you for coming personally, Henry. It means a lot." He gave him a small smile.

"I only wish I had better news, my Lord." Henry said, getting up from his chair. "I shall leave you to rest for now, sir. I'll send someone with the parchment. Do not hesitate to call on me, should you need anything."

"Of course." Villen chuckled. "And you feel free to visit."

Henry returned the smile before bowing. "It will be my pleasure." With that, he excused himself and left the room, leaving Villen alone with his thoughts again.


	27. The Nest

**Author's note:**

 **Terribly sorry it took this long to upload this chapter, but between work and exams I had less time to write that I'd like. Not to mention that I got stuck on a certain part of the chapter. Turns out I rather suck at describing architecture. I'm still not exactly with this chapter, but I also don't think I could make it any better, unless maybe I had waaay more time. So I hope you will still enjoy it, despite its flaws!**

 **Thank you to silebum for your review! Thank you very much for the high praise, and I hope I don't disappoint too much in the future!**

 **Thank you to ShiftFrame for another review! Henry's engagement happened some time ago (ch 20)! And when it comes to Junkrat and Roadhog, I'm sure they will find a way to wreak some havoc at some point in the future!**

 **And thank you to KeepingThemAtBay for another review! It was good to see another review from you, and thank you very much for the praise! Although I doubt going to the earlier chapters is such a good idea, since I now don't think they are particularly good. The rest of your questions are answered in the chapter!**

 **Alright I think I went on for long enough. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?" Angela said in a warning tone, giving Villen an incredulous glare. She had just returned from her lab, and was now moving towards the medical bed the knight was sitting on.

Villen, who had just hoisted his legs over the edge of the bed, looked over at her, smiling. "I was thinking of going for a walk."

"A walk?!" Angela huffed in disbelief, picking up her pace seeing the knight put more weight on his arms, clearly about to stand up. "You got control over your legs yesterday!"

"Well I need to practice." He slipped down the edge of the bed, so his feet were on the ground. "I have to leave tomorrow so it would be best if- woah." He pushed himself of the bed, only to wobble on his feet for a moment, before falling forwards. Thankfully, Angela was there to catch him, and he leaned on her for support. "My apologies, Lady Angela." He said sheepishly.

"You really shouldn't be getting up yet." She said leading him back to the bed. "And… Did you just say you'll be leaving?"

"Duty calls." He simply said, shrugging.

"Well, it's getting a busy signal. No matter how important it is…" Angela started, her tone serious.

"Very." Villen interjected, earning himself an eyeroll from the woman.

"No matter _how_ important it is, there is no way you're going anywhere without proper medical care!" She continued, waving her finger accusingly at him. "You're in no condition to travel, and you still need to be under observation."

"Well then." Villen's smile turned more smug. "Seems like I need a doctor to come with me."

Angela paused, looking at him for a moment, unsure of what he meant. "Are you… asking me to come with you?"

Villen's smile widened before he chuckled. "I was thinking about Ember, but since you're offering…" He answered playfully, making the woman smile.

She shook her head in disbelief, keeping up her smile. "How about you tell me first, where it is you wanted to go."

Villen looked her in the eyes, and relaxed, exhaling. "Home."

* * *

Villen stepped out onto the landing pad, leaning on a black walking cane. His black coat billowed lightly in the sea breeze. To his right walked Angela clad in long beige coat, watching him with concern, ready to assist should suddenly lose his strength. To his left was Lena her spiky hair flowing with the wind. Behind them, Inferno walked slowly, dressed in his dress uniform, carrying Angela suitcase in one hand, and her medical bag in the other.

"Soooo." Lena started, rocking on her feet, the walking pace clearly much slower than she was used to. "How long will you two be gone?"

"Not long, probably." Villen responded, looking over at the woman. "If Lady Angela so wishes, we can return right after the ceremony."

"That all depends on your condition." Angela interjected.

"What's the ceremony?" Lena asked, curiously. "Can I come?"

Villen smiled. "I doubt you want to. It is rather sad. In honor and memory of our fallen." His smile faded as he finished speaking, and he looked back towards the Jackdaw, sitting on the deck, waiting for them. Ember, Blaze, Scorch and Smoke were standing next to it, at attention, all in dress uniforms and turned towards them. Forge was standing next to the helicopter's cockpit, more due to the lack of place in the crew cabin, than actual need to pilot the craft. The Griffin was also out on the deck, of to the side. Flame was making her way from it, towards the approaching group. "Besides." Villen continued after a moment. "It is going to be rather cramped as it is. I should have asked Henry to send the other Jackdaw back..." He smiled again, turning to the woman. "I will take you next time I go, how does that sound?"

Lena who's smile faded slightly at the mention of the ceremony, lit back up. "Sound great, love. I'll hold you to that!"

Tirel approached a group, and saluted, her hand not leaving the side of her cap until Villen returned the gesture. "Sir, everything is set. Overwatch agents were given a way to contact us, should the need arise, and we are ready for departure." She reported.

"Excellent work, Captain." Villen responded, wincing slightly at the sudden pain in his leg, as he took another step. Angela noticed it and instinctively moved slightly closer, receiving a reassuring smile from the knight in return.

As their reached the helicopter, Caesar passed the medical bag to Ember, to take into the crew compartment with him, before moving to place Angela's luggage into the small cargo hold. The Jackdaw's side doors slid open, and O'Neill and Tirel helped Villen climb into one of the seats, Angela sitting across from him. Flame and Inferno excused themselves, before moving towards the Griffin. The rest of the Drakes took their seats in the Jackdaw.

"See you soon, Lena." Angela said to the other woman, who was standing by the door to the chopper.

"You better come back in one piece!" Tracer responded, before waving and blinking back, as the Jackdaw's rotors begun spinning up. The door slid closed as they waved back, the craft lifting smoothly of the floor, and soaring away, followed closely by the Griffin.

* * *

Villen leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes and exhaling, the exhaustion from the short walk threatening to overcome him. This earned him another concerned stare from Angela. "Are you feeling alright?" The woman asked, not letting her eyes leave him. The attention of the others inside was now also drawn to them. All but Sarah, who was looking down at the floor in front of her.

Villen smiled, opening his eyes and looking at the medic. "I will live."

Angela huffed, leaning back. "You really shouldn't be traveling in this state."

"I need to. It is as simple as that." He responded calmly.

Angela just shook her head. She realized long ago that Villen was difficult to persuade one he got his mind set on something. She couldn't complain however, she was much the same. She rolled her eyes, looking around the cabin. "Is he always this stubborn?"

"Yes ma'am." Blaze and Scorch responded at the same time, and Ember nodded in agreement.

Villen just shook his head, a smile on his face, while Angela barely held back a giggle.

He turned his attention to the only person inside that had not reacted. Smoke still had her head down, and she remained unmoved. The knight placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "How are you holding up, Sarah?" He asked, his tone calm.

The question and the physical contact seemed to catch the young woman off guard, as she straightened, turning her head towards him. "I'm alright, sir." She sounded calm.

Villen sighed, giving her a sad smile. "We've talked about this Sarah. Don't repeat your own mistakes."

"There is no mistakes to repeat, sir." Wick responded, shaking her head. "We have lost people before." She answered confidently, although Villen detected a slight crack in her tone.

"And yet." He paused giving her a sad smile. "Some losses hurt more than others."

"They do." She agreed slowly, before shaking her head and exhaling. "I just need time, sir."

Villen patted her shoulder. "That you do. Time and people to talk to." He smiled. "Luckily for you, there will be plenty of both." Sarah looked up at him, giving him a small smile, and he nodded reassuringly. "And I expect you to make use of both." He pointed a finger at her, before poking it into her side.

She let out an amused huff, and her smile grew slightly. "Yes, sir."

* * *

Angela felt the Jackdaw slow down gradually, before coming to a hover and starting to slowly descent. Sarah elbowed Villen gently, and he opened his eyes, stirring from the nap he dozed off into half way through the journey. "We're here, sir." She reported, and the knight thumbed a panel on the door, the material turning see-through. Angela looked out through the newly formed window, noticing nothing but a sea of trees below them. She gave Villen a quizzical look, receiving a smile in return. He gestured for her to look outside again.

She watched the trees grow larger as they descended, when suddenly the wheel of the Jackdaw seemed to touch something, sending a slight ripple across the landscape. As they lowered further, Angela noticed the bottom of the chopper disappearing slowly through an invisible barrier. She watched in awe as the threshold approached, and when it passed her, she couldn't hold back an amazed gasp.

The landscape shifted, revealing what looked like a small town, or a village, a short distance away from their landing point, a single church tower breaking the skyline of red tiled roofs. She followed the road from the village with her eyes, stopping at what she assumed was a gate, the black metal barely visible from this distance, but the white large posts flanking it, turning into arches over two smaller, pedestrian entrances, stood out. Before Angela could look any closer, the Jackdaw started turning in the air, and her attention got drawn to a long white building, with red tiled roof, connected to the gate with a cobblestone road. As the Jackdaw continued turning, and Angela kept following the road around with her eyes, another building came into view, and one that she couldn't help but marvel at, her mouth turning slightly agape.

In front of her was a large, beautiful palace, its main wing stretching across, what she now realized was, a courtyard they were landing in, with two additional wings running perpendicular to it, either side. The whole building was painted white, covered with a red tiled roof, its lines broken here and there with a topping or a chimney. The main door, located in the middle of the facade, was covered by a balcony, held up by a triple archway. The balcony's railing was broken up by four columns, holding up a triangular piece of roof, with some sort of symbol engraved in the middle of it, one that Angela couldn't quite see.

Two rows of windows broke up the facade further, and two more windows poked out of the roof either side of the triangular outcropping. Two outermost windows on either side were set in a protruding part of the building, capped with a hip roof, one of its sides merging with the main roof. Next to each of those, indented to be on the level with the main building, stood a four story tower, and attached to each of those was a short building, a connector to the side wings of the palace, one of which consisted of an archway, opening a way through to the rear side of the building.

The two side wings were built in a similar style, but their shape was much simpler, basically an elongated rectangle, indented here and there to break the straight lines. In a similar fashion the roof contained some windows, or a special topping, to add to the curious style of the place.

Angela was so enamoured with the building, she barely noticed they were about to land, torn from her thoughts only for a moment by the slight jolt as the Jackdaw's wheels touched the ground.

The door slid open, and Villen hoisted his legs over the threshold, gently sliding off the seat onto the ground. He turned offering his hand to Mercy, but the woman didn't seem to notice, continually looking around, focusing on the now clearer details of the building. Like the symbol on the triangular part of the roof, three black jackdaws on a yellow heraldic shield, surrounded by a variety of flowing, black and white shapes, a helmet sitting atop it, and on it another jackdaw, in between two wings, one white and the other black.

Villen smiled at the woman. "Lady Angela." He said gently, and she reacted upon hearing her name, looking at his outstretched hand. A moment later she understood his intention, grabbing hold, and using his help to disembark from the craft. As soon as her feet hit the pavement, she took another look around.

The Jackdaw sat at a small, circular landing pad in the middle of the courtyard, two cobblestone paths on either side connecting it to the road of the same material that marked the borders of the yard. In between them and the main building, stretched an area of grass, with a similarly sized circle half-way, but this one was a piece of raised greenery, a large bush in the middle. Angela assumed that, were it a different season, the circle would have been filled with colorful flowers.

"Welcome to the Nest." Villen's voice brought her out of her musings one again. "Enjoy your stay."

"This place looks incredible." Angela said, her voice filled with awe.

"I glad you like it." Villen chuckled. He was about to say more, but posed, upon hearing a quick patter of paws on the path. All he managed to do was let go of Angela's hand and turn towards it, before a dark, fluffy shape hit into him, throwing him back into the grass.

Mercy couldn't help but let out a small startled cry at the sudden disappearance of the knight, followed by a dull thud. However, the sound of Villen's laughter that followed soon after soothed her nerves, and a moment later she found herself laughing as well at the scene in front of her.

Villen was lying sprawled out on the ground, pinned beneath a large Bernese Mountain dog, that was furiously licking the knight's face, his tail wagging side to side in excitement. Villen was speaking to the dog in a language that Mercy didn't understand, while grabbing hold of the dogs head and running his hands through its fur. A few moments of play fighting later, he managed to convince the dog to get off of him, although it only moved slightly to the side, still wagging his tail and moving around excitedly.

Henry and Ceasar, who Angela didn't even notice approach, suddenly stepped forward, extending their arms, and helping Villen get off the ground. Henry then bent down again, picking up the walking stick that the knight dropped, before handing it to him with a wide smile on his face. "Welcome home, my lord."

"Thank you, Henry." Villen responded, before bending down to pet the dog again, muttering a few more words to it, and straightened a moment later, tapping the side of his leg, which the animal took a sign to dutifully sit by it. He looked up at Henry's now fiancée Ewa, who also approached.

She curtsied, bowing her head slightly. "My Lord."

Villen shook his head in disbelief, shooting an incredulous glare at Henry, who smiled sheepishly, before turning her attention back to the woman. "And here I thought he wouldn't be able to convert you too. I do hope he told you you don't have to address me like that."

She smiled. "He did, but I find it somewhat… exotic I suppose."

Villen sighed, though a small smile formed on his face. "You're not the only one, doctor. Unfortunately, that is a belief shared by most around here."

"Please, call me Ewa." The woman said, with a smile. "And I don't think it's that strange. Not everyone gets to work for nobility."

"Former nobility." Villen accentuated. "That institution was gone for a long time. But I suppose that's what I get for keeping with family traditions." He smiled back, before turning to the rest, and gesturing toward the house. "Let us head inside, no reason for standing around."

The group moved down one of the paths, walking alongside the right side wing, towards the main building, the Drakes splitting off and moving in the opposite direction, talking amongst each other. Angela fell into step beside Villen, who was walking slowly, placing weight on the cane, as he hobbled along, giving the woman ample time to admire the architecture. The knight said nothing, enjoying the sight of the enamored medic, as she looked around, trying to take in as much details as she could.

"Henry." Villen's voice threw Angela out of her musings, and they stopped, Henry turning around to face them, having walked in front of them. The stood at a bend in the road, an archway leading into the gardens in front of them, and the way towards the main door on the left. Angela noticed that the knight's disposition changed, his shoulders slightly more slumped, his voice just a bit more strained. "If you would be so kind to show Lady Angela to her room, and give her a tour of the place." He spoke, taking a few slow steps towards the gardens. "I need to…" His voice trailed off, as he pointed his cane forward.

"Of course, my Lord." Henry nodded, before moving towards the medic. "Lady Angela, if you please."

Mercy hesitated, turning toward the knight, hobbling away. "You should be resting, Villen. Is it really such a good idea to go off on your own?"

Villen turned towards her, a smile on his face. "I will not be alone. I have Vea and Fryderyk here…" He petted the dog, that looked up at him at the sound of its name. "I will be fine." He nodded, before turning back and walking away again. "I will be back soon."

"If you're sure…" Angela said, trying to hide her disappointment, and sighing in frustration.

"Please, excuse him, Lady Angela." Henry said softly. "It is a difficult time for him." He gestured towards the house, and they started moving again.

"How so?" Angela asked, unable to stop herself from looking back, at the knight slowly disappearing behind the building.

Henry looked at her for a moment, before speaking again. "Perhaps it would be best if he tells you himself." He smiled apologetically. "For now, know that he is safe here, and should something happen, Vea will inform us. In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy the palace."

* * *

On the tour Angela learned that the palace was built in 1726, and was meant as a summer retreat, a place away from prying eyes, its remote location an added safety bonus. It was that fact that allowed it to remain mostly intact through the ages, kept hidden from looters, occupants and oppressive governments by the family and nearby residents, as time went on. While Henry was reluctant to reveal the exact location, Angela managed to convince him to tell her the general area, which by extension allowed her to learn where Villen comes from, and identify the language she heard him speak on several occasions. They were in the southern reaches of Poland, a mountain forest, that over the years became a part of a national park, shrouding them, Villen's contacts in various organisations and the government keeping them concealed from the world. Not to mention the sophisticated cloaking field, that Villen and a team of scientists managed to perfect after years of hard work.

The palace itself took Angela's breath away on a few more occasions. The decor was very much fitting the era the palace was built in, as if stuck in time. Intricate and ornate furniture, low hanging chandeliers, wooden floors, and walls threatening to collapse under the weight of paintings. In a seemingly impossible feat, the place also felt modern, with electricity, automatically opening doors, and control panels, smartly hiding away in the walls to not ruin the timeless illusion. Apparently Mercy had been lucky to arrive after the renovation performed by Giacomo and his crew a few years ago, since as much as the previous generations tried to keep the place modernised, they often lacked funds, making any installations rather temporary and not very easy on the eyes.

Agela enjoyed every second of the tour, taking in the magnificent building, all of its intricate detail and history. The small chapel in one of the side wings. A huge ballroom, with coats of arms of various families painted on the ceiling, Villen's own Three Jackdaws taking the central space. A hallway, its walls lined with portraits of Villen's ancestors, the two last ones representing the knight himself, in a strange robe, wide, ornate belt and an elegant sabre by his side, as Henry explained, typical clothing of nobles from the past, and the other, his sister Anna. Her portrait was apparently taken when she was sixteen, and she was wearing a long, flowing dress, posing next to a grand piano, her hand gently resting on top of it. She was a beautiful girl, her long black hair rested on her shoulders, and an enchanting smile adorned her lips. Her eyes were even more intensively green than Villen's, and in the painting, they seemed to emanate with happiness and care. Angela lingered by the paining, taking in every detail she could, captivated by the portrait, before finally moving on.

As time went on, however, the distractions of the palace proved less and less successful in taking her mind of Villen. The knight said he'd return shortly, but still failed to appear. As Angela grew worried, she finally decided, she wanted to check up on him.

"Henry." She started, stopping the man in his tracks as he tried to lead her into yet another room.

"Yes, Lady Angela?" The man turned to her and asked, and Mercy had a feeling he knew what this was about.

"Villen hasn't returned yet, and I'm worried about him. He really shouldn't exert himself in this state." She stated plainly, trying to stop the less professional worry from seeping into her tone. A glance his and Ewa's expressions betrayed that they had sensed it nonetheless.

Henry opened his mouth for a moment before closing it again. He regarded her for a moment, an idea forming in his head. He smiled gently, before pointing back down the corridor they came. "I shall take you to him, then."

Angela fell into step next to him, as he started walking in the indicated direction. "You know where he is?"

"No." Henry responded, turning his head to her. There was a glint of sadness in his eyes. "But I have a pretty good idea."

* * *

They soon found themselves walking through the gardens behind the palace, and Angela wondered what they looked like when all the flowers were blooming. She looked back at the fountain in the middle of a small square they passed, in front of the back door. Three black birds sat atop a short, white marble pillar, holding up a bowl on their heads, in which located was the part spraying water, in a series of streams arcing down, back into the fountain. She looked around, taking notice of how the leaves of trees, that lined the garden's paths, started to turn yellow already. Taking in the bushes, and green flowerbeds, awaiting the return of spring.

They followed one of the paths, lined with a hedge on one side, the path sometimes splitting off and moving through an arch in the hedge. Henry stopped close to one of the last such entrances, and gestured inside. "This is where you will find Lord Villen, Lady Angela." He said quietly, as if not wanting to disturb the calm of the area. "He prefers to be alone here, but I doubt he'll mind your company. And perhaps you will even help."

"Help?" Angela asked, confused. She followed Henry's example and lowered her voice, although not exactly sure why. "What do you mean?"

"Soon you will understand, Lady Angela. Ewa and I will leave two alone for now." He bowed respectfully, before turning and walking away, hand in hand with his fiancée, leaving the confused doctor behind.

Mercy watched them move away for a moment, before turning and walking down the path through the hedge. She hoped that whatever she will find here would clear up at least some of the confusion. There was another bend in the path, and when she took the turning, the hedges opening into a slightly more open area, she stopped in her tracks taking in the image in front of her.

On the far left wall from where she came into the small, grassy square surrounded by the hedges stood a small, white marble building, its style clearly identifying it as a crypt. On either side of the entrance, two statues stood, one of a man, the other of a woman, and they looked very similar to Villen's parents Angela saw on the portraits back in the palace.

On the far left, on a marble bench Villen was sitting, his eyes clothes. Next to him on the ground his dog was lying, his head lifted and eyes focused on Angela.

It was the statue in the middle that captured almost all of Angela's attention however. Up on a short pedestal, that amazingly stood surrounded by blossoming tulips, which had no right to exist in such a state at this time of year, in this climate, stood a statue of a woman. Mercy immediately recognised her as Anna. Despite being made out of marble, she looked almost too realistic, as if the material was poured over her when she lived. She was stopped mid dance, the dress she wore flowed very naturally, as did her long hair. One of her hands was extended and raised, a small bird sitting on her one extended finger. She was smiling widely, as if caught in a very enjoyable moment. Her eyes were very intricately crafted, the green irises refracting light like some sort of gem. And seeming real enough to also pass on the aura of happiness surrounding the woman.

"Lady Angela." Villen's voice shook her from the marvel, and she turned to face him. "Welcome to my sanctuary. Come, have a seat." He indicated the space on the bench next to him, before leaning back, his head resting on the hedge behind him.

Angela walked slowly towards him, the dog lying at Villen's feet watching her intently but not making any move. She sat down next to the knight, leaning back as well and focusing back on the statue. "She's beautiful." She commented, captivated by it.

"Yes." Villen smiled. "This statue was also a very bad idea." He mused, and there was a tinge of pain in his voice.

"How so?" Angela turned to him, curious.

"I worked to make it perfect. As close to reality as possible. And it is." He sighed. "I used nanites to give the level of detail achievable otherwise. I thought it would make it easier, to face the fact that she was gone." He shook his head. "I used whatever video material I could find, photos, tailor's measurements." He gestured forward. "She can dance, just like Anna loved, and her movements are so natural. Too natural, too real." He took a few deep breaths to steady himself, and felt Angela's gentle touch on the hand he had placed on the bench. He looked down at it, and took Mercy's hand in his own, receiving a gentle squeeze in return. A small smile crept his way onto his lips, as he looked up into Angela's blue eyes. After a moment he turned back towards the statue. "When I first made her move, I broke down, and since then, I just kept it on position. Captured perfectly mid-movement. Surrounded by her favourite flowers, eternal guardians of her peaceful rest." He closed his eyes for a few moments, then looked towards Angela, the woman looking back at him, her eyes full of understanding and care. Ready to listen, as always. He couldn't help but smile, and received a soft smile in return. His smile faded after a moment, with a sigh. "She died eighteen years ago, today." He looked back at the statue, and waved his arm in front of him slowly, the tulips around the statue swaying in the rhythm of his movements.

"It's like a scene from a fairy tale." Angela said quietly, enamored by the image in front of her, still gently holding on to the knight's hand.

Villen smiled, looking at the medic, watching her trace the statue with her eyes. In the glow of the setting sun, she looked truly angelic, and while usually Villen prefered to spend the time here in solitude, her presence felt right to him. "I want to thank you, Lady Angela."

"Thank me?" Mercy looked at him, confused.

"For being here. For listening. I will admit, since I met you, life has become… easier to deal with. Much more enjoyable." He said, and his tone was filled with sincerity.

Angela blushed, but kept their eyes locked. "I'm glad I can help." She smiled. "And I have to agree. You have certainly brought a lot of flavour into my life as well."

Villen bowed his head a little. "I am happy to hear you say that." He returned the smile. Before he could say more however, a shade was cast over them, and a caw of a bird sounded, turning their attention above. Even the dog, that through their conversation seemed to have fallen asleep, raised its head and traced the shape overhead.

A black raven, circled around them, lowering its flight with each pass. It cawed again, and Villen set out his arm, for it to land on. But instead, the bird flew over it, before turning and perching itself on Anna's outstretched arm. When it landed, it watched them for just a moment, before turning its head sideways.

"Mischief, be nice." Villen said to the raven, as Angela watched with a smile. "Come over and introduce yourself." He pointed his finger accusingly at the bird, and its reaction was to turn its back on them, watching them with one eye. Villen sighed. "Don't tell me you're upset again."

"Long." The raven cawed, in an imitation of Henry's voice.

Angela giggled at the almost accusatory tone of the bird, and Mischief seemed to turn its attention to her, adjusting his position slightly. "He does seem upset." She said, as she watched the bird curiously.

Villen smiled. "Well, that just means…" He paused, while reaching into one of his coat's pockets, and pulling out a handful of raspberries. "That we get to eat more of these." He passed some to Angela, before grabbing one and eating it, making sure to indicate just how good they were.

Angela couldn't help but giggle again, both at the knight's actions and the way Mischief reacted, turning back towards them, and leaning forward slightly, as if to get a better view of the treats. Still, it remained perched on the statue, as if to show that he won't be so easily swayed. Mercy decided to try one of the berries herself, and found them really tasty, not stopping the satisfied sound that escaped her mouth as she chewed.

Villen's smile turned into a smirk, as he picked up another raspberry from his hand. "These are very tasty, would you not agree?" He turned his head towards the woman, and placed the berry in his mouth.

Angela nodded in agreement, also eating another one. "I don't think they will last very long." She smiled, stealing a glance at the bird.

Suddenly the raven was in flight, and it landed right on Fryderyk's head, the dog remaining motionless, only turning his eyes to look at the bird perched on him. Mischief cawed, fluttering its wings.

Villen looked at Angela and smiled, before patting his leg and turning to the bird. "Come here you rascal." He said, and the raven jumped up into its knees, hungrily devouring the raspberry it got offered.

It let out a satisfied caw, followed by an excited fluttering of its wings. It turned towards Angela, tilting its head slightly. "Mischief." It spoke in an imitation of Villen's voice.

"Very nice to meet you." Mercy said, offering it one of the raspberries. "I'm Angela."

"Angela." It imitated her voice, after eating the berry. "Angela." It repeated, jumping up to perch on her shoulder, startling the woman ever so slightly.

Mercy giggled again, looking at Villen, who was watching the situation unfold with a wide smile on his face. She lifted another raspberry from her hand, and passed it to the raven now comfortably sitting on her shoulder, its feathers brushing against her face. The bird let out a satisfied caw after devouring the fruit. "I think he likes me."

"I cannot say I blame him." Villen chuckled. He watched the woman feed the bird for a few more moments, before getting up from the bench slowly. He clicked his tongue and extended his arm, and Mischief flew to him, perching on it. "We should head back." He told Angela. "I am certain the dinner will be ready soon." He turned his head towards the raven, running his hand gently down its head. "What about you, Mischief? Are you coming with us or do you want to stay a bit longer?"

The bird looked at him, then at Angela, and then it took flight, landing back on Anna's extended arm, next to the marble bird she had on her finger. "Anna." Mischief cawed, before pecking the fake bird, and slowly walking along the statue's arm towards her face. "Anna." It repeated.

"Seems only the three of us are going back." Villen smiled gently at Angela, who also stood up, and was still watching the bird with great interest. The knight patted the side of his leg and said a few words to the dog, Fryderyk picking himself off the grass lazily, and falling into step next to him, as Villen started walking back towards the house, Angela by his side.

"Your dog is named Fryderyk?" The medic asked, the animal looking back at her at the mention of his name, giving her a small waggle of its tail.

"That is what Anna named him. In honor of Chopin, the artist she so adored." Villen responded with a smile.

Mercy stared at him wide-eyed for a moment. "I didn't think dogs lived that long."

"I have, rather selfishly, extended his life with nanotechnology." Villen sighed. "But he is getting to the end of his life, unfortunately." He bent down, petting the dog gently.

"Selfishly?" Angela inquired.

"I wasn't sure how it would affect him, living so much longer than it is usual for his race. But I did not want to lose him. Anna adored him." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He felt Angela grab his hand with her own, and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Turning his head to the woman, he smiled, returning the gesture. "Perhaps we should leave the sadder topics behind. And focus on what could be for dinner. How does that sound?" He winked, his smile growing wider.

Angela chuckled. "Tasty." She responded.

And so they walked back towards the palace, exchanging more and more ridiculous ideas for dishes. Their hands still locked together, and neither of them wanting to let go.


	28. Moonlight

**Author's note:**

 **This chapter took way too long to release, and I'm about to go into reasons why. The main one's at least. So if you don't care, feel free to skip ahead, to the review answers, or the story, I don't mind.**

 **Other than the usual reasons, being work, uni, family, and general laziness or lack of inspiration, the main reason for the chapter taking so long was… another Overwatch story. One that I have been slowly working on for a few months, mostly doing world building when I needed a break from this one, or felt particularly inspired. Recently however, it totally took over my brain, to the point I couldn't focus on this story at all. I would literally sit down to write, open up this one, write maybe a word or two, and then just kept thinking and thinking about the other one. So after some time struggling with this, I decided to simply start writing the other one (which I didn't really want to do until this one was finished, but oh well) and only after writing three chapter, did I finally manage to tear my brain away from it. I figured I will post the story anyway, since now I see no point in keeping it to myself, might as well give it to you guys to (hopefully) enjoy. It should be up tomorrow at the latest. I just wanted to wait until this chapter was finished, to let you guys know, since this story might (or might not, who knows, my brain is weird sometimes (actually most of the time)) be delayed by it.**

 **Oh and another thing. Another idea had been bouncing around in my head, to put out a very infrequent series of unrelated drabbles of Overwatch, if I feel like writing something specific, that has nothing to do with any of my other stories. I had some ideas in the past, and again it might serve me better to just pour them on paper, so they stop bouncing around in my brain. Do let me know if you'd be interested in seeing something like that.**

 **But now to the matter at hand, the reviews!**

 **Thank you, as always, to KeepingThemAtBay for your review, and continued support. I had a feeling you would like the previous chapter, and I am glad you did. When it comes to the architecture of the Nest, if you're interested, you can look up the palace in Kozłówka, on which the building is very heavily based on. I do hope you will enjoy this one as well.**

 **And thank you to Cheerslove for your review. I am thrilled you liked the story, although staying up for it, might have been a bit excessive ;] I considered your rating question, and I've indeed decided to lower it for now. I kept it high at the beginning, since I didn't know how the story would go (not that I do now), and it might get raised back up in the future, but no reason to keep it this high for now. I hope I can keep you interested in the story!**

 **Well that is enough rambling, so without further ado, please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

When Villen and Angela entered one of the smaller dining halls, Henry and Ewa were already waiting there for them, both having stood up from their seats as the pair entered. Villen smiled and nodded at them, leading Angela to the table and pulling her chair out, bringing it back in as she took her seat. He then proceeded around, patting Henry on the shoulder as he went, and took his place at the ornate chair at the head of the table, opposite Angela, having Henry on his right, and Ewa on his left.

Mercy looked around the room, taking it in. A fancy, golden chandelier was hanging above the table. The wooden floor comprised of a repeating, mosaic pattern. Walls were lined with various paintings and photos, of people, landscapes and the palace itself. An ornate grandfather clock was standing by the double wooden door they entered through. A fire crackled quietly in the fireplace on one of the walls. A few large, standing cupboards were leaning on the walls here and there, solid wood giving them a very heavy look. They were in a similar style as the chairs and the clock. On two of them, a white vase with a complex, blue flower pattern was standing. The whole room seemed very full, and lavishly furnished, and Angela wondered idly, if it had something to do with the fact that, as Villen told her on the way, it was the dining room the Lord of the house would have entertained his most important guests.

"So, Henry, what are we having today?" Villen's question drew Angela's attention back to the table. She scanned over the tableware, the white porcelain dishes, and silver cutlery with golden linings, as well as the many empty spaces on the white tablecloth, no doubt left there for the food to be brought in.

"Well, since we have a guest," Henry glanced at Angela with a smile, before turning back to the knight, "and you, sir, are back after quite some time, we thought the more traditional cuisine would be appropriate. I did leave Stanisław free reign, however, so I am not exactly sure what he decided to prepare."

"I have a good idea what kind of soup will be served." Villen smiled, looking over the table, causing Angela to frown in confusion. There were no soup plates set on the table. Villen chuckled lightly at the sight. "I hope you will enjoy the food, Lady Angela."

Mercy's eyes darted up to meet his. "I'm sure I will." She smiled softly.

The doors to the dining hall swung open, and a young man strode in, carrying a tray, with two large jugs, filled with red liquid, with what seemed to be fruit at the bottom, on it. "Daniel!" Villen exclaimed upon noticing him. "Good to see you."

"Likewise, my Lord." He nodded at the knight. "Lady Ziegler. Lady Czajka. Mister Kłos." He nodded respectfully at each of the people as he approached the table.

"How have you been?" Villen asked the waiter.

"Ah, you know, sir, same old." Daniel smiled, as he placed one of the jugs on the table. "The world goes on but the Nest stays the same." As Villen returned the smile, he placed the other jug on the table, and straightened himself, twirling the tray in his hands, turning to face Angela.

"Strawberry, cherry," he asked, gesturing at the specific jugs, "or do you prefer something else to drink, Lady Ziegler? Tea or coffee perhaps?"

Angela studied the liquids for a moment before looking up at the waiter. "And what is this exactly?"

"It is called _kompot_." Villen explained, smiling. "Not the most extravagant of drinks, as it is basically water with fruit boiled in, but it is quite delicious." His smile widened. "A taste of my childhood." He leaned in slightly towards Angela. "I am quite partial to the strawberry one, myself." He winked and leaned back in his chair.

Mercy returned the smile and looked up at Daniel. "Strawberry it is then. I see no reason not to try something new."

As Daniel picked up the jug to pour it, Henry jumped into the conversation. "You should have tried the cherry one then. It's far superior."

"It is not even close." Villen snorted.

"Lady Czajka?" Daniel gestured towards the woman, still holding the jug of the strawberry drink.

"I'll have the strawberry, thank you." She smiled, and Henry let out a mock horrified gasp, causing the woman to turn her head towards him. "I'm sorry darling, but you're alone on this one."

"How will I live through this betrayal?" He muttered, his shoulders slumping, causing the rest to chuckle.

"I'm sure you'll manage, Henry." Villen responded.

As Daniel finished pouring the men their respective drinks, and put down the jugs on the table, he bowed his head slightly. "The soup will be served in a moment."

"Thank you, Daniel." Villen said, and he reached for his crystal water goblet, and picked it up to examine it, just as the waiter left the room. " _Kompot_ really doesn't fit in the more formal setting, does it?" He chuckled, obviously finding it quite comical.

"Since when do we care, sir?" Henry asked, with a wide smile, reaching for his own goblet as well.

"Well said, friend." Villen chuckled again, before taking a sip and letting out a very content noise. "It has been too long." He sighed, before putting down the cup.

Angela took a sip as well, finding herself enjoying the simple, sweet taste of the liquid.

"So, Lady Angela, what do you think of the Nest so far?" Villen asked, curiously.

Mercy thought for a moment, her eyes wandering around the room before they settled back on the knight on front of her. "It's not something I would ever have expected." She answered honestly. "It's like I've taken a trip in a time machine."

Villen and Henry both chuckled, and Ewa gave her a knowing smile. "Yes, I see why you might feel that way." Villen said, nodding. "Centuries of history adorn these halls, after all."

Angela smiled. "I see now why people title you 'Lord'."

Villen sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Trust me, I would much rather they did not."

"It is what the people want." Henry interjected with a smile.

"And you can't really blame them, it's very unique." Ewa added, earning herself a grunt from Villen.

"Despite being in charge, there are some matters I have no influence over." The knight sighed, before smiling at Angela.

The doors opened again, and Daniel returned, pushing a small rolling table in front of him. Angela looked curiously at the contents on the table, four large breads, in a shape of a flattened globe. There was a visible cut near the top of each one, and a small bulb at the very top. Daniel set a plate with one of the breads in front of each person at the table.

Villen grabbed the bulb at the top, like a handle, and picked up the 'lid' from what turned out to be a bready bowl full of soup. Angela watched as he leaned towards the bowl, getting a lungful of air, and releasing a content sigh, before leaning back.

Mercy then opened her own 'bowl', revealing a thick, brownish-green soup, two halves of hard-boiled eggs floating in it, as well as a few pieces of sausage. She took a whiff of the meal, an interesting soury smell filling her nostrils. Looking up to see Villen, as the host, eating the first spoonful of soup, she picked up her own spoon, and took a sip of the food. Much like the smell indicated, the soup tasted sour, but, while not the best one she ever had, she found it rather tasty.

"What do you think, Lady Angela?" Villen asked, in between spoonfuls.

"I like it." Mercy smiled. "Quite an interesting taste. What is it called?"

" _Żur_." Henry said, turning towards her. "The name actually comes from the German _sauer._ Doesn't really have a direct translation to English. People just call it sour rye soup, because that's what it's made of." He smiled, before turning back to the food.

* * *

They ate in silence for a while, simply enjoying the meal. Villen tore of a piece of the bread bowl, and ate it, looking up at Mercy as he finished chewing. "So, Lady Angela, how did you enjoy the tour of the Nest?"

The medic swallowed the soup in her mouth before replying. "It was very intriguing. The palace is beautiful, and there is so much here. The paintings and pictures alone would take me a few weeks to look through I imagine." She smiled.

The knight nodded. "Ah, yes, there is quite a lot of those." He looked around to the ones that filled the walls of this room. "And every one tells some story or another. I do hope to find some time to take you through them, in the future." He returned the smile.

"I would love that." Mercy blushed slightly, and turned back to her meal, filling her spoon with another portion of soup.

* * *

"Delicious, as always." Villen said with undisguised satisfaction, leaning back in his chair the last one to finish his meal. "I really need to come home more often."

"You do indeed, My Lord." Henry smiled, and bowed his head.

As if on cue the doors to the room opened, and Daniel walked in to collect the plates. He smiled seeing the, very much content, look on Villen's face. "I trust the food was tasty?"

"Of course." Villen nodded, and the rest also voice their agreement.

"Well then, I will bring up the next dish immediately." Daniel said, picking up the last plate, and walked back out of the room.

Villen rubbed his hands together. "I wonder what is next."

Angela couldn't suppress the giggle, and she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. Seeing the knight this excited about something as simple as food was very funny to her. And also surprisingly endearing.

Villen grinned at the medic. "What?"

Mercy simply shook her head and gave him a wide smile. "Oh, nothing."

The knight raised an eyebrow at her and studied her for a moment, before winking and leaning back in his chair.

A few short moments later, Daniel returned with the main course. He set the plates in front of everyone, and bowed before leaving again.

Henry, anticipating Angela's question, spoke up. "A pork tenderloin breaded cutlet, very tasty." He smiled. "Potatoes, of course, and the so called _ćwikła_ , meaning grated beets."

As soon as he finished talking, Villen chuckled. "It sounds terribly fancy in English. We could almost pass it off as a high class dish."

* * *

Angela spent most of the meal conversing with Ewa, about her work at the university. She found out that the woman was giving lectures in several areas of quantum mechanics. The women exchanged questions about each other's fields. Villen sometimes provided his own input, surprising both of them with his extensive knowledge, but mostly talked with Henry about the events at the Nest, and organising of tomorrow's ceremony.

When they had all finished their meals, and Daniel came back once again to make collect some of the plates, Villen turned to the man. "Do give my compliments to Stanisław, in case I do not see him. The food was even more delicious than usually."

After the others voice their approval as well, the waiter bowed. "I'll be sure to pass it on to the chef."

"Excellent." Villen said, with a content smile, turning back to the people at the table. "In the meantime, I would like to get some fresh air. Would you join me, Lady Angela?" He asked, slowly getting up.

"It would be my pleasure." She said, standing up as well, and offering a nod to the pair that remained seated.

"Oh, believe me, Lady Angela, the pleasure is all mine." The knight bowed, and offered her a hand, before leading her out of the room.

* * *

They stepped out onto the large balcony over the main door into the palace. Angela leant on the balustrade, looking out over the large courtyard. The last rays of the day's sunshine illuminating the sky, and several stylized lamps and lanterns shining their light onto the green grass below. Mercy let out a sigh and relaxed, listening to the quiet hum of trees, rustling gently in the evening breeze. The world seemed so peaceful here, the old architecture and surrounding forest giving the illusion of an enclave, out of the influence of time and the outside world.

She turned to the knight, finding that he was watching her intently, seemingly completely absorbed, his cane propped up against the balustrade he was leaning on. She blushed at the attention, and tugged the loose strand of her blond hair behind her ear. "What?" She asked shyly.

Villen smiled warmly, and gestured to the courtyard in front of them. "I have always thought this to be the most beautiful place on Earth." He turned, looking out over the landscape. "I have travelled a lot, but nothing seemed to compare, to me at least." He then looked back at her, and their gazes locked. "And here I am, surrounded by all that beauty, and yet yours overshadows it, shining so much brighter." Mercy's blush deepened at the compliment, and she looked away, shyly. "You truly are the most incredible woman I have ever met, Lady Angela." He took a step forward, causing the woman to look up at him. "And I am the luckiest man alive, to have you spend your time with me."

"And I am the luckiest woman, to have such an extraordinary man show me this much attention." She said, with a warm smile, and also took a step towards him.

They both blushed at the closeness, and simply enjoyed it for a moment, staring into each other's eyes. And then they both leant in, and their lips touched for the first time.

The first kiss was cautious, gentle, soft. A careful exploration of their feelings, still halted by the fear of going too far, by the chance of lack of reciprocation. But their fears were not confirmed, but rather shattered.

Mercy smiled into the kiss before pulling away slowly, opening her eyes, and finding a pair of green orbs staring back at her, filled with happiness and warmth. She didn't question how Villen's hand was suddenly in the small of her back, or how her own arms rested on his chest. She exhaled a shaky breath and gently cleared her throat. "Took you long enough." She spoke softly, quietly, not fully trusting her voice. _Like a teenage girl_ , she scolded herself mentally, but her mind's attention quickly went back to the man, as he let out a low chuckle.

Villen gently pulled her slightly closer, his smile turning somewhat sly. "Then how about we make up for lost time, hmm?"

Angela smiled wider at the barely audible mischief in his voice, and her hand went up, to touch his cheek. Gently running her hand through his beard, she looked at his lips then back into his eyes. "I'd like that."

When their lips touched again, the kiss was more brave, much less reserved, exploratory. Hesitation turned into passion. Mercy kept one of her hands on the man's cheek, her other one snaking its way up to his shoulder, for a firmer grip, to pull him ever closer towards herself. Villen reciprocated the action, the hand on her back pushing her towards him gently, and the other landing on her cheek, caressing it softly.

When they finally pulled away, both their faces were flushed with red, and they were panting slightly from the lack of breath, looking deeply into each other's eyes. Villen put the strand of Angela's hair that got loose again, back behind her ear, and smiled warmly. "I must say that was very enjoyable."

Mercy tightened her grip slightly on the knight's shoulder, and leaned closer again, her eyes drifting between his lips and eyes. "I'm not satisfied just yet." She said in a low tone, a smug smile forming on her face.

Villen mirrored the expression, and leaned in as well, pausing mere centimeters before their lips touched. "Let us fix that." He whispered, before closing the distance.

That kiss was filled with pure passion, seeming almost hungry. Desperate. The show of feelings, and a try to make up for the time lost, but not wasted, on dancing around the subject. Every stolen glance, every little flirt, every enjoyable conversation. The patience that wore so thin.

It was long and deep, both of them pleasantly dragging it on, pouring their feeling into it, and even the more carnal desires started to seep in. While mostly unknown to the other, for each of them it was a sign of commitment, a start to building something greater than the friendship and attraction they shared. A pair that usually strayed from romantic relationships, consumed by their work, or higher calling, came together, finally finding that maybe, sometimes, the entire world could just stop, and all that mattered was the moment they were with each other.

They parted, and stood, catching their breaths, looking into each other's eyes, seemingly unable to look away. Not searching for anything, not thinking about their duties, but just enjoying each other's presence, the closeness, and the happiness it brought with it.

Angela broke tore her gaze away, but only to nuzzle her face into Villen's neck, the man's hand leaving her face to close the embrace, and pulled her, seemingly impossibly, closer.

And with the sun finally disappearing completely behind the horizon, and the world being bathed in moonlight, the seed of love planted so long ago, could finally start growing unobstructed and unafraid, instead watered and nurtured. And soon, it would bloom into something truly magnificent.


End file.
